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CBD Oil in New York
Are you a New York resident with questions about cannabidiol (CBD) laws within your state? If so, you are on the right page to find some answers!
One important thing to note upfront: not all CBD is the same. In fact, the legality of a CBD product often depends on how it was produced and what plant was sourced.
While all CBD comes from cannabis plants, the type of cannabis plant sourced for production is important. There are two major types of cannabis plants according to federal law: hemp and marijuana.
Most of the CBD that you will see for sale to the general public is made from the hemp plant. (All of the CBD products for sale on the Highland Pharms website are sourced from American-grown hemp plants.)
Hemp is similar to marijuana in appearance and chemical composition. For this reason, many people (including law makers and law enforcement) have been quick to confuse the two plants in the past; luckily, that is quickly changing.
There is one stark distinction that can be observed between hemp and marijuana—it all comes down to the presence of a compound known as Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). While trace amounts of THC can be found within hemp plants, legal hemp never contains anymore THC than 0.3% by concentration.
THC is typically found in much higher concentrations when it comes to marijuana, and marijuana extracts.
THC is a psychoactive compound, capable of intoxicating the user, or producing the “high” that marijuana is known for. Because hemp does not contain much THC, consuming hemp and hemp products, like hemp CBD, will not produce this same high.
Federal laws passed in 2014 and 2018 established a legal distinction between hemp and marijuana on this basis which effectively removed hemp from the federal government’s Schedule I list of controlled substances.
These bills also laid the groundwork for states to begin growing and commercializing industrial hemp. New York was one of many states that seized on this opportunity to expand their economy.
Is CBD Oil legal in New York?
While CBD is now widely available in many parts of the country, each state has its own legal framework when it comes to CBD oil and products made with it. New York is no exception.
Under New York’s current laws, CBD Oil is legal— if it is derived from hemp, and it is available to the general public.
Medical cannabis, CBD derived from marijuana, is accessible to those in need—but obtaining it is a more complex process.
What are the current CBD laws in New York?
Until very recently, all forms of cannabis fell under the same laws, with no distinction made between hemp or marijuana plants. And all forms of cannabis were illegal for much of the Twentieth Century. New York banned cannabis in the early 1900s and little changed to reverse this situation until the Twenty-First Century.
The fight for cannabis freedom has been complicated and spans more than one hundred years in some cases, but with the re-introduction of hemp as a legalized industrial crop—the pace of change is beginning to accelerate. This rebirth of the hemp industry happened, in part, as a result of the passage of two federal bills, the Farm Bill of 2014, and the Farm Bill of 2018.
Once these bills passed, marijuana and hemp were given legal distinction, and hemp was removed from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) as a Schedule I drug. The foundations were also set for states to begin establishing regulatory systems for industrial hemp.
New York laws began to make progress on the cannabis front during this time as well. In July of 2014, the state of New York made marijuana legally accessible for medical patients with qualifying conditions (like intractable epilepsy) with the passage of the Compassionate Care Act (Bill No. A06357).
In 2015, after the federal government began its national pilot program for hemp, New York state launched its own.
In 2019 the legalization of hemp became official, S6184/A.7680, sometimes known as “the Hemp Bill” officially legalized cultivation of hemp cannabis within the state of New York and established a regulatory framework for sales. Efforts continue to be made that address production, sale, and use of cannabis products within the state. At present, New York law is in alignment with federal law on the topic of hemp.
CBD advocates who wish to consume hemp CBD products within New York are unlikely to run astray of the law.
Can I Purchase CBD in New York?
Residents of New York can purchase hemp CBD products within their state without the need of a prescription, or a doctor’s recommendation. While hemp CBD products can be found in general retail and convenience stores throughout the Empire State, many New Yorkers prefer to buy their CBD products online.
There are many advantages to ordering CBD from an internet retailer. Product selection tends to be fairly limited in most brick-and-mortar stores, but online retailers who specialize in CBD can offer a wide variety of product formats. Whether you are looking for capsule, lotions, creams, tinctures, vape oils, gummies, or even CBD pet treats, Highland Pharms sells it!
There are other factors to examine when one considers ordering CBD from an online retailer: pricing tends to be more competitive and perhaps best of all, consumers can establish a customer relationship with a CBD retailer who is known and trusted.
Highland Pharms has been building trust with CBD customers across the United States, including residents of New York. Using our own CO2 extraction methods, we provide CBD users with legally, cleanly produced CBD products that they can depend on for quality.
If you are a resident of New York, and you are on the search for a CBD provider, we invite you to begin a CBD journey with us. Whether you are in Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, New York City, Yonkers, Syracuse, or anywhere in between, we hope you will browse our selection and consider making Highland Pharms your trusted source for all things CBD.
Is CBD oil legal in New York? | Weedmaps
Cannabis in New York – Wikipedia
An Overview of New York’s Compassionate Care Act (mpp.org)
Agricultural Act of 2014 – Wikipedia