It's legal to grow hemp in Canada, but producers must have a license. Commercial hemp production is regulated and authorized by Health Canada. It's illegal to carry cannabis across the Canadian border, whether you're entering or leaving the country. You could be charged with a criminal offence if you try to travel to other countries with any amount of cannabis in your possession.
This applies to all countries, regardless of whether cannabis is legal there or not. Under the Cannabis Act, both marijuana and industrial hemp are completely legal in Canada. However, only licensed cannabis processors and retailers can extract, produce and sell CBD. Cannabidiol or CBD is a natural component of cannabis.
It is extracted from the cannabis plant and is often converted into oil for use. CBD is not psychoactive and does not produce the “high” of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the main psychoactive component of cannabis. CBD is legal in Canada and has been used to treat a variety of medical conditions. Cultivation means obtaining industrial hemp through its cultivation.
The government distributed hemp seeds to farmers in the hope of stimulating the economy for its many potential uses. Approved cultivation means any variety of industrial hemp that appears on the List of Approved Cultivars, published by the Government of Canada on its website, with occasional modifications. Nowadays, you can buy CBD products derived from hemp and marijuana flowers at Canadian dispensaries without a prescription. The Cannabis Act includes a specific regulation on hemp, known as the Industrial Hemp Regulations Program (RSI).
The Industrial Hemp Regulations Program defines hemp as a cannabis plant and parts of the plant with a THC content of 0.3% or less in leaves and blossoming buds. In 1998, the Canadian government allowed the cultivation and processing of industrial hemp under very restrictive regulations. The IHR allows the processing and sale of industrial hemp derivatives, such as hemp seed oil, hemp flour and hemp seeds. Propagation means obtaining industrial hemp by propagating it in order to develop a new variety.
A plant breeder with a license authorizing cultivation or propagation must cultivate or propagate only the industrial hemp variety listed on their license or the germplasm whose name or number appears on their license. Before the Cannabis Act, CBD was strictly regulated by the Drugs and Controlled Substances Act and it was illegal to produce or sell it unless it was authorized for medical or scientific purposes.