Pennsylvania CBD Oil Laws

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Overview: The state of Pennsylvania allowed the legal cultivation of industrial hemp in 2016. This state has a medical marijuana program instated since April 2016, and the licensed dispensaries started serving the Pennsylvania citizens in May 2018. This state allows the use of CBD products with no restrictions, as long as these are in compliance with the federal law.

CBD in the Quaker State

The Pennsylvania legislative body has voted positive on House Bill 967 in 2016, legalizing the cultivation of industrial hemp. According to this law, educational facilities and agencies are allowed to grow industrial hemp for research purposes, and the newly-founded Pennsylvania Hemp Research Board needs to work on regulations, licensing, and producing guidelines to people interested in growing industrial hemp.

The state, however, does not have any legal repercussions regarding the use of CBD oil and other CBD products. This state is following the example from its neighbors, establishing a steady network of CBD suppliers across the state.

CBD – essentials

CBD – cannabidiol is steadily rising in popularity, with many people turning to the use of CBD in order to help improve their health and wellbeing. CBD is derived from the cannabis variety known as industrial hemp, a crop that has a great variety of useful applications. Industrial hemp is used for the production of fiber, rope, textile, paper, animal feed, animal bedding, as a building material, and more. Hemp is also one of the fastest-growing renewable sources of biofuel.

CBD has many beneficial effects on the health of humans, stimulating the endocannabinoid system (ECS) to bring the natural balance in the body.  CBD helps in pain management, helps relieve symptoms of anxiety and stress, and relieves nausea, PTSD, inflammation and more. Cannabis comes in a great variety of strains, with most of them producing a high THC content, but many of these have a high CBD and low THC content. Because of their helpful properties, these are favored among medical marijuana users and here I bring you two such strains.

  • Pennywise is a strain with about 1:1 CBD vs. THC ratio, and has mild psychotropic effects and many medicinal properties. The Pennywise buds smell of spices, coffee, woods, and sweetness, and leave a sweet, woodsy aftertaste. The initial effects are relaxed, happy, euphoric, and uplifted, while the medicinal effects are stress relief, pain relief, help with depression, fixing the lack of appetite and curing insomnia.
  • MediHaze is a strain from a mixed heritage with about 1:1 CBD vs. THC, and in many cases even up to 2:1 CBD vs. THC. The buds smell of pines, mint, and spices and they leave an earthy, woodsy aftertaste. The initial effects of MediHaze are relaxed, happy, energizing, and euphoric, while the medical side is helpful with headaches, inflammation, stress, pain management, and muscle spasm relief.

Pennsylvania CBD law

Pennsylvania has a liberal policy towards the use of CBD oil and other CBD products. The state has a working industrial hemp program instated since 2016, and many farmers are already planting this crop on their fields, with a legal stipulation that the variety they are planting has less than 0.3% THC. Only last year, there were 580 acres of industrial hemp in Pennsylvania, and this year it is expected this number to significantly increase.

The use of CBD is not regulated with any state law; therefore it is free for all citizens to use this product for their benefit, as long as it complies with the federal CBD regulations.

Medical marijuana

Since 2016, patients with severe, debilitating conditions can use marijuana for medicinal purposes. The list of qualifying conditions includes ALS, PTSD, HIV/AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, autism, epilepsy, and spastic movement disorders, seizures, Parkinson’s disease, sickle cell anemia, severe pain and more. The patients can obtain a 30-day supply of cannabis, previously is all forms except herbal cannabis, but with the changes in April 2018, it was allowed for herbal cannabis to be given to patients, as long as they vaporized it, as smoking cannabis is not allowed.

Patients can’t grow their own cannabis but can get it from one of 50 state-licensed dispensaries. Currently, there are about 116,000 registered patients in the state of Pennsylvania, and this is governed by the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program under the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

No weed for Pennsylvanians

Smoking weed is banned in this state, as marijuana is classified as Schedule I controlled substance. This said anyone, caught carrying up to 30 grams of weed on them will get a 30-day stay in prison and a $500 fine. Anything more means anywhere from 6 months to a year in prison and a $5K fine.

There is local jurisdiction law that allows municipalities to enact their own laws, and some have chosen to partially decriminalize possession of small amounts of weed. Cities like Erie, Allentown, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, State College, and York all have a decriminalization policy, and people caught with 30 grams or less here usually get about $25 to $250 fine.

CBD buying options

Due to the rise in the popularity of CBD oil in the State of Pennsylvania, this state is becoming a rising market. This means that CBD retail stores are rising constantly, and many carry excellent product offers. There are many good stores in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and others.

For the people that don’t like to visit retail stores for this kind of product, there is always the possibility for them to order a high-quality CBD product online. The only thing they need to look for is that the CBD products should contain less than 0.3% CBD and be derived from industrial hemp.

Finishing thoughts

The Keystone State allowed the cultivation of industrial hemp in 2016, and today there are many farmers already growing this crop, and more are interested in joining this venture. The state allows the use of cannabis for medical applications, but patients need to be registered and to be suffering from one of several debilitating conditions in order to qualify. Even though there is a relatively liberal view towards industrial hemp, this view is not very liberal when it comes to recreational use of marijuana, i.e. it is against the law to possess or smoke weed. Still, some cities have decriminalized small amounts of weed and have loosened the legal ramifications.

Lastly, Pennsylvanians can freely use any type of CBD product they like, as long as it has less than 0.3% THC and is derived from industrial hemp. There are plenty of retail stores carrying this kind of product, but people can also order them online.

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