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Is CBD Legal in India?

The general public notion seems to be that CBD oil India is a pretty taboo topic, and that CBD products, in general, still face some legal troubles within the country. Well, that’s simply not true - CBD oi in India is actually very popular, and the situation regarding such product legalities is actually rather favorable! Worry not, though - if you’re still not sure is CBD oil legal in India, we’ll cover all of that in the article below!

Is CBD Legal India: Background
CBD Oil India: India state.
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CBD India - Is it Legal?

Yes, CBD oil India is completely legal, both for medicinal and recreational use. That said, you have to make sure that the products you’re after are made from industrial hemp - cannabis-derived CBD may only be legal for medicinal use.

YES

CBD India - Is it Legal to Buy Online?

Yes, it’s legal to buy CBD oil India online, though there are some exceptions. It actually depends on where you want to buy the products from - it’s an ever-changing scenario, and should be investigated at the time that you’re actually purchasing the products.

YES*

CBD India - Is it Legal to Buy Offline?

Yes, it is completely legal to buy CBD oil India offline, from one of the local shops found around the country. While it’s not the recommended way of getting your CBD products, it is still completely legal.

YES

Is it Legal to Grow Hemp in India?

Yes, you can grow industrial hemp in India, but you do have to possess some permits and be a licensed hemp farmer.

YES
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History of CBD in India

India does actually have a pretty rich history concerning the topics of cannabidiol and cannabis. That history is also quite varied - the country has been moving towards legalizing cannabis-based products for quite some time now, and while there’s a lot of success regarding the matter, that does not mean that there weren’t quite a few struggles in the process.

The one thing that India has over many other countries around the world (and that allows CBD oil India to be a positive topic, in general) is that the nation places some very clear and simple distinctions between hemp- and cannabis-derived CBD products.

CBD oil India: Taj Mahal.

Now, if you’re a CBD enthusiast, it might seem like something quite obvious to you - of course they’re different! Well, there are still many people asking “is CBD hemp oil legal in India?” - for anyone who’s not CBD-savvy, the topic can be quite a confusing one. This is further proven by the laws that some other countries possess - if it comes from any cannabis-related plants, it’s bad!

CBD that comes from industrial hemp is going to have small amounts of THC within it, while cannabis-derived CBD products are going to be rich with THC - that’s the main difference. Concerning the situation with CBD oil India, though, the country can easily be considered to be an Amber one.

India - An Amber Country

CBD enthusiasts over at the US have come up with a very useful color-coding system for each of the states located within the country. They are each prescribed a specific color, and this allows people to easier distinguish between the different CBD laws and regulations that a state might have.

While the system was developed and created for the US, with some adjustments, it can surely be applied to the rest of the countries in the world, too. It’s actually quite helpful in analyzing the topic of CBD oil India, too! The colors in question are:

  • Green countries. All CBD products are legal, without any restrictions.
  • Amber countries. Hemp-derived CBD products are legal, and there’s a positive outlook towards cannabis-derived products.
  • Amber-Red countries. Hemp-derived products are only legal for medicinal use, and there’s a negative outlook towards cannabis-derived products.
  • Red countries. All CBD products are illegal.

Naturally, all of these colors are very… Limited in their explanations. You shouldn’t be taking the above-presented information at face value! That being said, it does serve the purpose of allowing people to get a pretty simple and straightforward answer to questions such as “is CBD hemp oil legal in India?”, and talk about CBD oil India, in general.

Speaking of which, out of all of the information presented up to this point, it is pretty obvious that India is an Amber country. Frankly, this means that all hemp-derived CBD products are completely legal to be used within the country, for any and all purposes, and that India also has a pretty positive outlook towards cannabis, too.

Hemp Seed Oil - Don’t Get Tricked!

Oftentimes, when you’re out and about shopping for CBD oil India, you might encounter what is known as “hemp seed oil” in some of the local shops around the country.

Well, you should know that these products are NOT the ones that we’re talking about here, in this “CBD oil India” guide.

Hemp seed oil, as the name implies, is made from the seeds of the industrial hemp plant. CBD oil - the one that we ARE talking about in this article - is made from other parts of the plant, seeds excluded.

CBD oil India: a traditional India boat.

While hemp seed oil is considered to be good for your body, it’s not really going to provide you with the effects that you’d expect from CBD. Cannabidiol has been shown to be effective when it comes to treating everything from inflammations[1] all the way to some more severe diseases - since hemp seed oil does not have much actual CBD in it, it’s not going to be effective, as a result.

When looking for answers is CBD oil legal in India, you might encounter individual sellers and even some bigger shops trying to sell people hemp seed oil as CBD oil. Well, be sure to not fall for it, and find yourself real CBD oil India!

Medicinal VS Recreational

Anyone looking for CBD oil in India should also be aware that the country does have some very specific distinctions between using CBD products for medicinal and recreational purposes.

In India, it’s legal to use hemp-derived CBD products for medicinal purposes, though you don’t need any formal documentation in order to do so. I’ll get to why that’s the case in a bit, but it’s definitely something worth keeping in mind.

Cannabis-derived CBD products, however, are a bit different. While the country has a pretty positive outlook towards cannabis, that doesn’t mean that such products are legal here! In fact, you might struggle getting this type of product even for medicinal use, too!

CBD oil India: Varanasi.

Now, the reason why you don’t need any prescriptions in order to use CBD oil India for medicinal purposes is because recreational use of hemp-derived CBD products is legal within the country, too. As you’ve probably gathered by now, that’s not the case with cannabis-derived products - just something to keep in mind!

In any case, while both medicinal and recreational use of CBD is legal in India, you should always also check what products you’re looking to purchase! CBD comes in many different shapes and forms, and while CBD oil might be legal, some pills or creams might not. Also, always make sure that the CBD products that you’re purchasing contain less than 0,3% THC.

Where to Buy CBD Oil in India?

Lastly, let’s discuss the methods of how you could purchase some hemp-derived CBD oil in India.

There are two possible ways you could go about purchasing CBD oil India - either in a shop, or online.

While buying CBD products from your local CBD retailer might be a tempting option, it’s actually a much better idea to stay at home and buy all of your products from high-end CBD providers onlineIf that’s possible.

We’ll get to talking about the online option in a bit, but first, let’s quickly mention some of the more notable CBD shops in India.

Buying CBD Offline

Here are three of the better-known CBD retailers in India.

Bombay Hemp Company - Good Customer Service

Customers report that the Bombay Hemp Company has some of the better customer service that you might encounter, and that all of your wants and needs will be taken care of here.

CBD Store India - Effective Products 

CBD Store India appears to sell some of the more effective CBD products in the region. Depending on your own interpretation of the term “effective”, the shop might be worth checking out!

Hemp Horizons Pvt. Ltd. - Variety of Different Products

Hemp Horizons offers customers a somewhat wide variety of different CBD products - everyone should be able to find products that’d suit them best!

Buying CBD Online

While many people prefer to go out and purchase their CBD oil India from a local shop, it is always going to be a better idea to do so online.

Now, in general, when you buy CBD online, you can expect top-tier quality, great prices, multiple different discounts, and simply a great overall service, in general. For example, you’d never get tricked into buying hemp seed oil instead of CBD oil if you’d visit the top-rated online CBD providers.

There’s but a single, slight issue, though. India doesn’t always look very fondly upon foreign CBD brands selling and shipping their products into the country.

The worst part about this is that it’s actually really difficult to say which companies will ship their items to India, and which won’t, since it’s an always-changing situation. That said, allow me to still tell you about some of the best CBD brands out there - perhaps you’ll be able to purchase their CBD products, if the laws and regulations are lenient enough at the time you’re reading this article!

Charlotte’s Web - Potent CBD Products

Charlotte’s Web sells full-spectrum CBD products. The oils offered by the brand will provide customers with some optimal potency, and you should be able to feel their effects quite soon! The brand’s oils are tasty, and also made from US-grown hemp, too.

Charlotte’s Web CBD oil prices go from $74,99 up to $188,99.

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CBDistillery - Good Variety of Choices

CBDistillery has a pretty good variety of different CBD products to offer to the average customer. This is actually pretty good news for anyone looking for CBD oil India, since the country does allow the use of different CBD products, and not only oil. CBDistillery is a very reputable CBD brand, so it’s definitely worth checking out!

CBDistillery CBD oil cost from $30 up to $260.

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cbdMD offers its customers some very unique and interesting CBD products - broad-spectrum oils. These products are going to be potent, yet will possess almost completely no traces of THC within them. Perfect for any CBD industry newcomers, or people who are simply interested in trying something new! 

The costs for the cbdMD oil ranges from $29,99 up to $339,99.

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Conclusions

As far as CBD oil India is concerned, the country does allow its residents to use hemp-derived CBD products that contain less than 0,3% THC most completely freely, for both medicinal and recreational purposes.

Cannabis-derived CBD is a bit of a more tricky topic, but some sources do note that it is possible to get such products prescribed to be used for medicinal reasons.

Finally, while it may not be an easy task trying to purchase CBD oil India products online, it’s still seen as the better alternative to that of going out to a shop, and should be kept in mind, if anything. Do make sure to check some of the top-rated CBD brands out from time to time - perhaps they’ll be able to ship their CBD products to India at that point in time?

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Scientific References

1. D.C. Hammell, L.P. Zhang, F. Ma, et al.: 'Transdermal cannabidiol reduces inflammation and pain-related behaviours in a rat model of arthritis'

Disclaimer

While every effort has been made to make sure this article is as accurate as possible, it is not intended to provide legal advice. Since legal situations might rapidly change, we advise you to discuss any legal concerns with an expert, lawyer or relevant legal advisor in your local jurisdiction, or visit your state's .gov page for the most up-to-date information.

FAQ

Is CBD oil legal in India for medical or recreational use?

CBD oil India is legal to be used for both medicinal and recreational purposes, as long as the products are derived from the hemp plant. Cannabis-derived products are a bit tricky, but some reports do state that the country allows using them, be it only for medicinal purposes.

Is cannabis-derived CBD oil legal in India?

The laws regarding cannabis-derived CBD oil India are somewhat confusing, but the general idea is that such products, are, in fact, legal, but only for medicinal use. That’s why most people simply resort to using hemp-derived CBD products.

Will I get in trouble with the police if I use CBD products in India?

Well, you might. It depends if those products are extracted from industrial hemp or cannabis, and if you have official permission to use them (i.e. a doctor’s prescription). If you’re using hemp-derived products, though, you shouldn’t face any legal trouble.

What is the overall legal situation of CBD within India?

India is actually quite supportive of using hemp-derived CBD products. It has a pretty long history of possessing liberal outlooks on the matter, and since a few years ago, the country’s citizens can, in fact, use hemp-derived CBD products completely freely.

Is it worth purchasing CBD oil in a brick and mortar store?

No. While some countries have a huge variety of different stores that sell CBD products, you should always resort to purchasing your CBD online, from well-known and respected product providers. This way, you’ll be able to rest assured that the products are up-to-standard and fall into the legal guidelines.

Can you grow hemp with the intent to extract CBD in India?

Yes, you can grow industrial hemp in India, in some select locations around the country. That said, you’d still need licenses and permission to do so from the government.