Is CBD in Illinois Legal ?

Illinois CBD Laws 2019

Just recently, at the end of the summer of 2018, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed into law Senate Bill 2298, the Illinois Industrial Hemp Act, thus formally legalizing the cultivation of hemp in the state. Does that mean CBD oil is now legal in Illinois? Does the bill cover the production of CBD oil? Can anyone buy it? Do you need a doctor’s recommendation? How old do you have to be to buy CBD oil in Illinois? These are all fair questions. Although a number of stores in Illinois have been selling CBD oil for quite some time, there was some confusion as to whether or not CBD oil was included under the jurisdiction of the state’s medical marijuana program or was actually legal for residents of all ages.

So, is CBD oil and other products legal in Illinois, Now?

The short answer is yes, CBD in Chicago and the rest of Illinois is legal. Although without a medical marijuana card, you’re going to be limited to purchasing CBD oil made from hemp which has less than 0.3% THC. (THC is the compound produced in marijuana which causes a high.)

Illinois’ medical marijuana program allows patients suffering from a long list of medical conditions to legally purchase marijuana products, including CBD-rich cannabis oils. Some of the conditions on the list include ALS, cancer, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, glaucoma, and many others.

In order to purchase CBD oil that contains any useful levels of THC, right now, you’ll have to get a recommendation from a doctor. But it looks like that is soon to change as pro-legalization gubernatorial J.B. Pritzker was elected governor in this year’s midterm elections. Pritzker is already calling for the immediate legalization of marijuana for adult recreational use. This means that by the time you read this, you may no longer need a medical marijuana card to legally purchase CBD oil made from marijuana.

In Illinois, legalizing marijuana will require an act of the Illinois legislature. Fortunately for Pritzker and marijuana fans, the elections saw anti-prohibition lawmakers expanding their control of both legislative chambers making the passage of a legal marijuana bill highly likely.

If such a bill does materialize, it will make the purchase of marijuana-derived CBD oil legal in Illinois for anyone 21 years of age or older.

The Benefits of CBD

There are numerous medical studies which suggest that CBD possesses therapeutic benefits that rival those of pharmaceutical drugs. Both the scientific evidence and real-world results strongly suggest that CBD oil provides the following benefits:

Anti-Anxiety
Antipsychotic
Antioxidant
Anti carcinogenic
Antidepressant
Anti-inflammatory

CBD oil is currently being used by many people as an alternative medicine to help relieve a variety of conditions such as these:

Fully Legal Hemp CBD vs. 21+ Marijuana CBD

So what’s the difference between hemp CBD oil which is legal for all residents of Illinois and marijuana CBD oil which, by the time you read this, may be legal for all residents 21 or older? And why would you want to purchase one instead of the other? Let take a look.

There really is only one difference between hemp CBD oil and marijuana CBD oil (which is commonly referred to as cannabis oil). Marijuana CBD oil contains THC, and hemp CBD oil does not. Most people would say that the difference is that one will get you high and the other won’t. But not all cannabis oils will get you high.

CBD Oil from Marijuana (21+)

Cannabis oil can be made from marijuana strains with levels of CBD ranging anywhere from 0% to 25%. And the limit of just how much cannabinoids a cannabis plant can produce is probably not much higher than 25%. That means if the CBD levels come up in a strain, then the THC levels must go down.

While a ratio of CBD to THC of 1 to 1 is common and popular, some strains have a CBD to THC ratio as high as 25 to 1. If you’re taking a dose of 25 to 1 CBD oil which contains 10 milligrams of CBD then you’re only getting about 0.4 milligrams of THC which is not enough to produce a noticeable high — in most people. It is, however enough THC to potentially make a difference in other effects such as boosting pain relief or reducing the anxiety-busting effects of CBD.

On a side note, it’s important to understand that cannabis oil is a natural herb with scores of active compounds, and because everyone’s bodies are different it will have different effects on each individual. Just because one person experiences superior results with a product containing THC doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have the same results.

Another thing to be aware of if you plan on using CBD oil made from marijuana is that it could cause you to fail a THC drug test. So, if your job requires that you be tested for marijuana use, then you definitely want to avoid using CBD oil made from marijuana. Another thing to be aware of that is ingesting THC puts you at risk of failing a roadside sobriety test and being charged with a DWI.

There is one more caveat. Raw cannabis doesn’t actually produce THC, it produces a precursor of THC called THC acid, or THCa. THCa does not cause a high. In order to convert THCa to THC, it must be heated to a particular temperature for some minimum amount of time.

Cannabis oil can be produced using a cold extraction method or a hot extraction method. So it is possible to produce a CBD-rich cannabis oil that will not get you high. However, even aside from the buzz, there are some differences in the effects of THC vs. THCa.

The process of refining the raw extract does require heat, therefore the vast majority of CBR-rich cannabis oils will contain some THC, might get you high, and will likely cause you to fail a drug test or roadside sobriety check.

Legal CBD Oil from Hemp

Not everyone wants to get high — not even a little. And some people aren’t willing to take the risk of failing a drug test.

CBD oil which is produced from hemp, because it’s essentially devoid of THC, is completely non-intoxicating and non-addictive. It will not get you high and will not cause you to fail a drug test. Aside from these things, is there any difference between a low-THC CBD-rich cannabis oil and a no-THC hemp-derived CBD oil? That depends on your condition and makeup.

Some CBD oil users claim that the addition of THC makes the product more effective for reducing pain, seizures, tremors, and so on. Others, such as many people who use CBD to reduce anxiety, feel that hemp CBD oil with no THC does a better job. So determining which is best for you, personally, will require some experimentation.

There is another kind of CBD oil that you need to be aware of. Full-spectrum CBD oils contain all the original cannabinoids and terpenes found in the plant. However, this full-spectrum oil can be further refined to produce pure CBD.

In some cases, manufacturers will simply add pure CBD to an oil base and call it CBD oil. Many edibles also contain only pure CBD and not a full-spectrum oil. In many cases, though not all cases, this product will produce inferior results compared to full-spectrum products that contain scores of active compounds such as other cannabinoids and terpenes. Again, do your homework.

Where To Legally Buy CBD Oil In Illinois

So, you have three options. First, if you’re looking for CBD oil in Chicago which contains THC, then you’ll have to be 21 or over and you’ll have to go to a licensed marijuana dispensary to purchase marijuana-derived CBD legally in Illinois. As of the time of writing, you’ll need a medical marijuana card, but by the time you read this, that may no longer be the case.

If you’re under 21, or you don’t necessarily need the THC containing type of CBD oil, then you should be looking for hemp-derived CBD oil. There are numerous local shops that sell hemp CBD oil including vape shops, health supplement shops, and other specialty boutiques. To reiterate what we mentioned earlier, some of these shops will not sell CBD products to customers under the age of 18.

Where To Buy CBD Online

Another perfectly good option to get CBD in Chicago is to order legal hemp CBD online and have it delivered to your door. Keep in mind that just because a CBD product is legal doesn’t mean it’s good.

There are great CBD oil companies and there are rotten CBD oil companies. It’s important that you do some homework or have the guidance of someone you trust who has done the homework to find a CBD oil brand.

CBD Pure

Hemp Bombs

Nature’s Script

CBD FX

CBD for Pets Online

MediPets

CBD Pet

Where To Buy Low THC High CBD Oil Made From Cannabis

Illinois Dispensaries

Illinois MMJ/CBD Dr Clinics

One more thing that we should mention is that it’s looking likely that the federal government will legalize hemp, and if it does so you might start finding CBD on shelves at every convenience stores, grocery store, and drug store in America.