CBD Regulation in Canada

At a glance

Why does CBD count as “cannabis” in Canada?

Under Canada’s federal Cannabis Act, “cannabis” means a cannabis plant and anything listed in Schedule 1, other than the items in Schedule 2. CBD is one of the cannabinoids in Schedule 1, so it counts as cannabis. The Act came into force on October 17, 2018.^{[1, 2]}

Schedule 1 covers the cannabinoids found in the plant and any substance identical to them, regardless of how it was obtained. So CBD made synthetically in a laboratory is cannabis too.^[1]

According to Health Canada’s CBD page dated July 30, 2020, the Cannabis Act and its regulations do not distinguish between CBD derived from industrial hemp and CBD derived from cannabis with more than 0.3% THC; CBD and CBD products are subject to all cannabis rules. The same page says CBD is a controlled substance under the UN drug conventions and is treated that way in Canada; until October 17, 2018, CBD was handled under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.^[2]

Some parts of the plant are not cannabis because they are listed in Schedule 2: non-viable seed; a mature stalk without any leaf, flower, seed or branch; fiber from such a stalk; roots. Leaf and flower are not on this list, so they count as cannabis. Since March 12, 2025, derivatives of these exempt parts are in Schedule 2 too; however, stalk derivatives and products made from them must not contain an isolated or concentrated phytocannabinoid.^{[1, 21, 22]}

Where is CBD sold, and who can make it?

According to Health Canada, CBD and products containing CBD, such as cannabis oil, may be sold only by a provincially or territorially authorized cannabis retailer or a federally licensed seller of cannabis for medical purposes. Making a CBD product also requires a cannabis processing license, whatever the source of the CBD.^[2]

Unless authorized under the Act, it is prohibited to sell cannabis, whether the buyer is an adult, a person under 18 or an organization. A person may possess, sell or distribute cannabis if they are authorized to sell it under a provincial Act. Provinces and territories decide how cannabis is sold, where stores are located and who may sell it.^{[1, 3]}

Growing and processing cannabis for sale needs a federal license. Licenses and permits for importing or exporting cannabis can be issued only for cannabis for medical or scientific purposes or for industrial hemp.^{[1, 2]}

Health Canada lists signs of illegal online sellers, including no age verification and shipping cannabis everywhere in Canada (Health Canada, page dated October 26, 2022).^[3]

CBD as a supplement or natural health product: no legal pathway as of November 3, 2026

In its page dated August 10, 2026, Health Canada states that, within the existing frameworks, there is no legal pathway to market a natural health product containing CBD.^[4]

Natural health products, veterinary health products and cosmetics may contain only plant parts that fall outside the Cannabis Act; deliberately adding phytocannabinoids is not permitted (Health Canada, page dated July 30, 2020). In its March 2025 amendments, Health Canada kept cannabis as defined in the Act outside the definition of a natural health product; isolated or concentrated phytocannabinoids also stay excluded.^{[2, 22]}

According to Health Canada’s page dated August 10, 2026, natural health products containing hemp derivatives cannot contain more than 10 µg/g of THC (10 micrograms per gram), nor an isolated or concentrated phytocannabinoid or a synthetic duplicate of one. This is the limit set for natural health products; it is separate from the limit in the Industrial Hemp Regulations.^[4]

Health Canada published a discussion paper opening the question of a CBD pathway for natural health products and veterinary drugs on March 7, 2025; feedback was accepted from March 7 to June 5, 2025, and 135 submissions came in. The “What we heard” report was first posted on January 22, 2026, and the page was updated on February 16, 2026. As of November 3, 2026, no regulation has been proposed and no timeline has been announced.^{[4, 5]}

According to Health Canada’s consultation overview, the agency is considering amending the natural health product framework to add CBD as a medicinal ingredient, and not carrying over the cannabis drug license and research license requirements for people who handle only CBD. These are proposals at an early stage, not law or regulation.^[23]

What did Health Canada’s science committee say? (2022)

In its CBD report dated July 28, 2022, Health Canada’s Science Advisory Committee on Health Products Containing Cannabis said that oral CBD is safe and tolerable for short-term use (a maximum of 30 days) by healthy adults at doses from 20 mg to a maximum of 200 mg a day, provided they discuss any other medications with a pharmacist.^[6]

The committee left pregnant and breastfeeding people and people under the age of majority outside its assessment and wrote that the report’s recommendations should not be considered to apply to them. This range is an advisory committee’s safety assessment for short-term use: it is not a personal dose recommendation, and it is not a sales authorization. Today, no non-prescription CBD supplement can be lawfully sold in Canada.^{[4, 6]}

For comparison: in the UK, the FSA and Food Standards Scotland have advised since October 12, 2023 that healthy adults limit CBD from food to 10 mg a day. EFSA, the EU’s food safety agency, calculated in February 2026 a provisional safe level of about 2 mg a day (for a 70 kg adult) for CBD used as a supplement that is at least 98% pure. The committee’s assessment covers use for up to 30 days; the agencies are answering different questions with different data. None of these figures is a personal dose recommendation.^{[6, 7, 8]}

THC limits, testing and label tolerances

The Cannabis Regulations set THC limits for retail products: at most 10 mg of THC per container for edible cannabis; at most 10 mg of THC per discrete unit for other products meant for ingestion or for nasal, rectal or vaginal use (other than edibles); and at most 1000 mg of THC per container for extracts and topicals. The potential of THCA to convert into THC is taken into account. The Regulations set no upper limit for CBD.^[15]

A “cannabis topical” is a product containing Schedule 1 cannabis that is intended exclusively for use on external body surfaces, including hair and nails.^[15]

Each lot of cannabis that becomes a cannabis product must be tested for THC, THCA, CBD and CBDA, and for microbial and chemical contaminants.^[15]

In extracts and topicals, the THC or CBD content must be within 85% to 115% of the labelled value, a fixed band. Wider tolerances apply only to edible cannabis: 80% to 120% where the labelled amount is more than 2 mg and up to 5 mg, and 75% to 125% where it is 2 mg or less.^[15]

Retail edible cannabis may not contain more than 0.5% ethyl alcohol by weight; Schedule 5 of the Act lists nicotine, caffeine and ethyl alcohol as prohibited substances (a limited amount of caffeine from natural ingredients, at most 30 mg per container, is allowed). The Safe Food for Canadians Act is not applied to edible cannabis.^{[1, 15, 24]}

The expert panel for the legislative review (March 2024) recommended keeping the limit of 10 mg of THC per package for edibles while research continues. This is a recommendation; the limit itself is in the Regulations.^{[15, 25]}

Labels, packaging, promotion and health claims

Cannabis may not be sold in a package or with a label that could be appealing to young persons, that carries a testimonial or a depiction of a person, character or animal, or that contains false, misleading or deceptive information about its health effects or health risks.^[1]

Legal products carry the standardized cannabis symbol, a health warning, child-resistant plain packaging and a provincial excise stamp; products with less than 0.3% THC do not need a stamp (Health Canada, page dated October 26, 2022). Under the Regulations, labels carry one of Health Canada’s rotating health warning messages; products with more than 10 micrograms of THC per gram also need the standardized cannabis symbol; labels show THC and CBD per unit and per package.^{[3, 15]}

Since March 12, 2025, labeling rules have been relaxed: the THC and CBD potency information can be as large as the health warning message, and the annual promotion report to Health Canada was removed. The health warning text is unchanged.^[22]

In our reading, the Act prohibits promotion in general with narrow exceptions (information or brand-preference promotion directed at named adults; only price and availability at the point of sale); promotion by testimonial or endorsement is prohibited.^[1]

If a product is manufactured, sold or represented for use in the diagnosis, treatment, mitigation or prevention of a disease, disorder or abnormal physical state, the drug rules of the Food and Drugs Act apply under the Cannabis Exemption Regulations. In our reading, this means that CBD products sold as cannabis cannot lawfully make health claims.^{[2, 26]}

Prescription medicines: Epidiolex, Sativex, Cesamet

According to Health Canada, making and selling a health product that contains CBD and makes a health claim requires approval of the product as a prescription drug under the Food and Drug Regulations; most phytocannabinoids are on Canada’s Prescription Drug List.^[2]

Epidiolex (cannabidiol oral solution) is a prescription medicine in Canada. The product monograph gives November 15, 2023 as the date of initial authorization, and Health Canada’s Drug Product Database gives March 28, 2024 as the original market date. According to the monograph, it is used as add-on therapy for seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Dravet syndrome or tuberous sclerosis complex in patients 2 years of age and older.^{[9, 10]}

Sativex (an oromucosal spray containing THC and CBD) has been on the market since 2005; it is used as an add-on treatment for symptomatic relief of spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis who have not responded adequately to other therapy and who show meaningful improvement during an initial trial of therapy. Cesamet (nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid) is a prescription drug in the narcotic schedule, indicated for severe nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy. These are the approved uses in the products’ monographs, not advice to readers.^{[11, 12, 13, 14]}

Prescription drugs containing cannabis fall outside the medical-access Part of the Cannabis Regulations and are regulated mainly under the Food and Drugs Act.^{[15, 24]}

What does research show for the conditions Epidiolex is approved for? Our guide’s assessment:

• Lennox–Gastaut Syndrome: Proven effect · ●●●● Strong evidence
• Dravet Syndrome: Proven effect · ●●●● Strong evidence
• Tuberous Sclerosis: Proven effect · ●●●○ Moderate evidence

The result and strength of evidence are our guide’s assessment for these conditions; they are separate from the medicine’s approval status.

Cannabis for medical purposes

Cannabis for medical purposes requires a medical document from a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner that states a daily quantity in grams of dried cannabis and a period of use of at most one year.^[15]

Patients can buy directly from a federally licensed seller, register with Health Canada to produce a limited amount for their own medical purposes, designate someone to produce it for them, or buy at provincial retail, where the province’s age limit applies.^[27]

The public possession limit for authorized medical patients is the lesser of 150 grams or a 30-day supply of dried cannabis; this is in addition to the 30 grams allowed for non-medical purposes.^{[15, 27]}

Cosmetics, topicals and products for animals

Health Canada’s CBD page dated July 30, 2020 says the same restrictions apply to cosmetics, which may contain only hemp derivatives. CBD products sold as cannabis topicals go through the cannabis regime instead. Because the page is dated, read this as the position on that date rather than a final word.^{[2, 15]}

Cannabis intended for an animal falls outside the retail “cannabis product” category. Cannabis represented for use in the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of a disease in humans or animals loses the Food and Drugs Act exemption, and the drug rules apply.^{[15, 26]}

Veterinary health products may not contain deliberately added phytocannabinoids; a mature stalk without any leaf, flower, seed or branch, and fiber from such a stalk, fall outside the Cannabis Act but may not be used in veterinary health products (Health Canada, page dated July 30, 2020).^[2]

On animals: the animal subcommittee of Health Canada’s Science Advisory Committee found only limited safety evidence, for dogs with pain from osteoarthritis and only under veterinary oversight. In 2025, Health Canada held a consultation on non-prescription veterinary CBD drugs.^{[5, 6, 23]}

Industrial hemp

Industrial hemp is a cannabis plant, or any part of it, in which the concentration of THC is 0.3% w/w or less in the flowering heads and leaves; the conversion of THCA is taken into account. Growers must use varieties approved for commercial cultivation.^{[2, 18]}

Growing any cannabis plants you intend to sell needs a federal license; hemp growers hold a hemp license under the Industrial Hemp Regulations. A hemp license holder authorized to sell may sell flowering heads, leaves and branches only to a holder of a license under the Industrial Hemp Regulations or the Cannabis Regulations.^{[2, 18]}

Extracting CBD from the flowering heads or any other part of hemp (isolating or concentrating phytocannabinoids) requires a cannabis processing license; a hemp grower cannot do it without one.^{[2, 19]}

In March 2025, the following were removed from the Industrial Hemp Regulations for derivatives of non-viable industrial hemp grain: the maximum THC concentration of 10 parts per million, the testing requirement, the labeling for wholesale sale and the import and export requirements. Under the Act, these derivatives can be imported, exported, sold and processed without a license or permit. Seed and grain themselves, and other forms of industrial hemp, still need a license and an import or export permit. Health Canada’s 2020 CBD page still mentions 10 ppm for hemp seed oil. The 2025 amendment is more recent than that page, so it is the one followed here.^{[2, 18, 21, 22]}

Under the Industrial Hemp Regulations, importing or exporting hemp seed or grain requires a license and a separate permit for each shipment; Health Canada’s 2020 page says the same. According to that page, flowering heads, branches and leaves can be imported or exported only by a holder of a Cannabis Regulations license, for medical or scientific purposes.^{[2, 18]}

Minimum age and provinces: each has its own rules

Under federal law, adults 18 and over may possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis (or the equivalent in Schedule 3) in a public place. The equivalents of 1 gram of dried cannabis are 15 grams of solids, 70 grams of non-solids other than beverages, 0.25 grams of concentrates and 570 grams of beverages.^[1]

Provinces and territories may raise the minimum age, lower possession limits, restrict where cannabis can be used in public and add requirements for personal cultivation. Federal law allows adults to grow up to four plants in their dwelling-house; provinces may restrict this (Ontario allows four plants per residence).^{[1, 3, 28]}

The age and sales-channel information below was checked on November 3, 2026 against each province’s and territory’s own official sources; the sources and their dates are in each row. Health Canada’s page dated October 26, 2022 no longer shows the current situation in some places: for example, in the Northwest Territories sales are now made by private vendors designated by the territorial government. We could not confirm New Brunswick in the province’s own source, so there we rely on Health Canada’s page. Some sources are old: Prince Edward Island’s regulation text dates from 2018, and Nunavut’s page on the minimum age from 2018.^{[3, 29, 30]}

Minimum age and sales channel (13 jurisdictions):

• Alberta: 18; private licensed stores. Since March 2022 these stores may also sell online and deliver; the provincial agency AGLC withdrew from online sales. The age is confirmed by Alberta's Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act (a minor is a person under 18), and the retail model by AGLC's page.^{[16, 31]}
• British Columbia: 19; government-operated stores and a government online store, plus private licensed stores. Since July 2022 private stores may also take online orders and deliver. The age is confirmed by the provincial Act (an adult is 19 or older), and the retail model by the provincial government's news release of July 8, 2022 and the government retailer's page.^{[32, 33, 34]}
• Manitoba: 19; private licensed stores (they buy their products from the provincial agency MLLC). A licensee may accept online orders only through a website it operates. Confirmed by the provincial government's page, the provincial Act and its regulation.^{[35, 36, 37]}
• New Brunswick: 19; government-operated in-person and online stores (Health Canada, page dated October 26, 2022). We could not confirm this row in the province's own source.^[3]
• Newfoundland and Labrador: 19; stores licensed through the provincial liquor corporation NLC, or NLC's online store. The provincial regulation also lets some licensed stores sell online with NLC's approval, or take online orders that are paid for and picked up in the store. Confirmed by the provincial government's page and the regulation.^{[38, 39]}
• Northwest Territories: 19; private vendors designated by the territorial government, in stores and online. In December 2020 the territorial government designated private retailers and sales ended at the government liquor store in Yellowknife; since October 2021 these vendors may also sell online. Confirmed by the page of the territory's liquor and cannabis commission, NTLCC, and the territorial government's news releases.^{[29, 30, 40]}
• Nova Scotia: 19; government-operated in-person and online stores. The provincial government’s page also confirms the age of 19 and that the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation is the only authorized retailer.^{[3, 41]}
• Nunavut: 19; licensed retailers, in stores and through remote (order and delivery) sales. The retail model is confirmed by the territorial government's 2024-25 licensing report (August 7, 2025); the age of 19 comes from a territorial government page dated 2018.^{[42, 43]}
• Ontario: 19; private licensed stores. The provincial Crown agency OCS runs the online store; private stores may also take orders for delivery and curbside pickup, filled from their own store. The age and the private retail model are confirmed by the Government of Ontario's page, and the online and delivery rules by the page and guide (December 12, 2025) of the provincial regulator, AGCO.^{[28, 44, 45]}
• Prince Edward Island: 19; government-operated stores and online sales. This matches the provincial regulation (consolidation current to August 11, 2018) and Health Canada's page dated October 26, 2022; we could not reach a more recent official provincial text.^{[3, 46]}
• Quebec: 21; stores and online sales of the government agency SQDC. The age is confirmed by the Government of Québec's page (it is totally prohibited for people under 21 to possess cannabis), and the retail model by the Government of Québec's page on the Act (last updated November 20, 2025).^{[17, 47]}
• Saskatchewan: 19; private licensed stores. In 2018 the provincial government announced that stores could also run an online store. The age and the private retail model are confirmed by the provincial government's page; we could not confirm today's online sales rule in the provincial regulator's own source.^{[48, 49]}
• Yukon: 19; private licensed stores. In October 2021 the territorial government tabled an amendment to let private retailers sell online and deliver to people 19 and older; Health Canada's page dated October 26, 2022 also shows private online sales.^{[3, 50]}

Because these rules can change, the official page of your own province or territory is the most reliable place to check; each one updates its rules separately.

Driving and the workplace

The Criminal Code’s drug-impaired driving rules rely on prescribed blood levels of THC: 2 nanograms or more of THC per milliliter of blood is a summary offense, 5 nanograms or more is a hybrid offense, and 2.5 nanograms of THC together with 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood is also a hybrid offense. The blood levels are set out in the Blood Drug Concentration Regulations (SOR/2018-148).^[51]

The table in these Regulations lists THC (and other drugs such as LSD, cocaine and ketamine) but not CBD; so there is no federal blood limit for CBD in driving.^[51]

For federally regulated workplaces, the Canada Labour Code has no specific provision on drugs and alcohol; employers must run hazard prevention programs that may cover impairment. An employee who has all of the necessary legal and medical authorizations to use cannabis for medical purposes triggers the employer’s obligation to accommodate its use to the point of undue hardship (Employment and Social Development Canada page, September 9, 2022).^[52]

CBD at the border

According to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), transporting cannabis across the border in any form, including oils containing THC or CBD, without a permit or exemption authorized by Health Canada is a serious criminal offense subject to arrest and prosecution. The amount or a medical document does not change this. The page is dated March 26, 2021.^[20]

Only Health Canada has the authority to issue permits or grant exemptions. According to Health Canada, CBD may be imported or exported only by a license holder, with a Health Canada permit for that shipment and for a legitimate scientific or medical purpose. The Act also prohibits unauthorized importation and exportation (an indictable offense with a maximum of 14 years).^{[1, 2, 20]}

If you have cannabis with you in any form when entering Canada, it must be declared to the CBSA; undeclared cannabis can lead to arrest and prosecution.^[20]

Under the administrative monetary penalty regime of the Customs Act, in force since March 2021, the CBSA can assess a penalty of $200 to $2,000 for undeclared cannabis or inaccurate information; criminal prosecution can also follow.^[53]

What is next? Pending items and recent changes

The final report of the legislative review of the Cannabis Act (54 recommendations) was tabled in March 2024; Health Canada said it would review the findings and provide recommendations on next steps to the Minister. As far as we could find, there is no full government response as of November 3, 2026. The expert panel recommended moving beyond a separate medical access program, starting with the rapid advancement of a pathway for health products containing CBD; this is a recommendation, not a decision.^{[25, 54]}

On March 12, 2025, two regulatory changes came into force: SOR/2025-43, which cut cannabis red tape, and SOR/2025-44, which widened the exclusions in Schedule 2.^{[21, 22]}

SOR/2025-244, which harmonizes the Cannabis Regulations with certain provisions of the Controlled Substances Regulations, was registered on November 28, 2025 and came into force on October 1, 2026.^[55]

Health Canada has proposed amending the Cannabis Tracking System Order (Canada Gazette, Part I, September 26, 2026; a 45-day comment period that began on September 26, 2026). This is a draft, not a final rule.^[56]

On industrial hemp, Health Canada published a notice of intent on potential amendments to the Industrial Hemp Regulations on May 16, 2026; comments were accepted until June 30, 2026. The Forward Regulatory Plan 2026–2028 (page dated July 16, 2026) lists amendments to these Regulations, with the proposal expected in spring 2027; it is a plan, not a decision.^{[19, 57]}

For non-prescription CBD supplements as of November 3, 2026: the consultation has closed, and there is no decision. We found no separate item for CBD natural health products on the same plan page.^{[4, 5, 57]}

Frequently asked questions

Timeline

1. June 21, 2018

   Cannabis Act assented to

   The Act (S.C. 2018, c. 16) received Royal Assent.^[1]

2. October 17, 2018

   Cannabis Act in force

   Non-medical cannabis became legal; CBD and all phytocannabinoids count as cannabis under Schedule 1.^{[1, 2]}

3. October 17, 2019

   Rules for edibles, extracts and topicals

   Amendments to the Cannabis Regulations came into force.^[24]

4. July 28, 2022

   Science Advisory Committee report

   Health Canada published the committee’s report on CBD (human and animal use).^[6]

5. November 15, 2023

   Epidiolex first authorized

   According to the product monograph, Epidiolex was first authorized in Canada.^[10]

6. March 21, 2024

   Legislative review report

   The final report of the legislative review of the Cannabis Act was tabled.^{[25, 54]}

7. March 28, 2024

   Epidiolex on the market

   The Drug Product Database gives this as Epidiolex’s original market date.^[9]

8. March 7, 2025

   CBD health products consultation

   Health Canada published a discussion paper on natural health products and veterinary drugs; feedback was accepted until June 5, 2025.^[5]

9. March 12, 2025

   SOR/2025-43 and SOR/2025-44

   The red-tape regulations and the Schedule 2 derivatives order came into force.^{[21, 22]}

10. November 28, 2025

    SOR/2025-244 registered

    The Cannabis Regulations harmonization amendment was registered; it came into force on October 1, 2026.^[55]

11. January 22, 2026

    “What we heard” report

    The results page of the CBD health products consultation was first posted; it was updated on February 16, 2026.^[5]

12. May 16, 2026

    Hemp regulations notice of intent

    Comments were invited on potential changes to the Industrial Hemp Regulations; the period ended on June 30, 2026.^[19]

13. September 26, 2026

    Tracking System Order proposal

    The Cannabis Tracking System Order amendment was published as a draft in Canada Gazette, Part I; a 45-day comment period began.^[56]

14. October 1, 2026

    SOR/2025-244 in force

    The harmonization amendments to the Cannabis Regulations came into force.^[55]

Sources

Other countries

CBD laws by country · CBD in the United States · CBD in the European Union · CBD in the United Kingdom · CBD in Turkey (in Turkish, on cbd.com.tr)

About this page

This page is a plain summary of official texts; it is meant to inform and is not a substitute for legal advice. Rules can change and differ from place to place: before you decide, we suggest checking the official text and, if needed, talking to a lawyer. If you spot a change or an error, let us know through our contact form.