CBD Canada Recommendations
CBD Canada is a growing market for wellness products with the added ingredient of cannabidiol – a phytocannabinoid found in cannabis and hemp plants. This product is anecdotally credited with helping a laundry list of ailments from sleeplessness to anxiety to pain and PTSD. The committee recommended that Health Canada conduct a systematic audit of companies selling these health products to ensure regulatory adherence.
The committee also recommended that the federal government review a pathway for non-prescription access to CBD for people with medical needs. This should include a review of the current evidence supporting its use and the risk/benefits to public health of non-prescription access, including the potential for drug-drug interactions with other medications being used by healthy adults who choose to self-medicate with CBD. The committee agreed that consultation with a pharmacist should be encouraged for those taking CBD. Pharmacists could flag potential drug interactions, explain dosing and the importance of reading the product insert, and reinforce the need to report adverse reactions.
CBD Canada: Your Guide to Accessing Quality CBD Products
The committee also agreed that Health Canada should review the rules and regulations governing the production, sale, possession and import of CBD from industrial hemp as well as the cannabis plant to ensure consistency with international drug control conventions. This includes the requirement that anyone who produces, sells, posesses or imports phytocannabinoids (including CBD) require a license from Health Canada. This is consistent with other activities involving the cannabis plant that are controlled under the Cannabis Act.
