Is it worth buying CBD from a pharmacy?
Where to buy CBD? Most of the time, consumers buy their cannabidiol in specialized shops or online. Faced with increasing demand, pharmacists have adapted to customers and have been offering CBD products in their pharmacies for some time.
What are the regulations for CBD products sold in pharmacies? What kind of CBD can be bought in pharmacies?
Is it worthwhile to buy CBD from a pharmacy? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this choice? A multitude of questions that we will answer throughout this new article!
The sale of CBD in pharmacies: legal framework
Pharmacists are authorized to sell herbal products and medicines. In this context, it is perfectly logical to find CBD-based products, a natural substance derived from the hemp plant, in pharmacies.
Regulation
The essence of a pharmacist's role is to offer products that are good for health! Whether it's medicine or well-being, the pharmacist's ethics dictate that they must respect consumers and promote health products.
The pharmacist is responsible for the products they sell. As such, they must:
- Verify that the product is on the list of authorized sales (list of authorized goods, set by the order of February 15, 2002),
- Verify the composition and quality of the product,
- Ensure the scientific and health relevance of the product,
- Ensure that the product complies with legislation (one of the postulates is that the THC level must be below 0.3%).
Products must be provided with analyses that certify their CBD level (concentration in milligrams) and indicate the cannabinoids present in the product, as well as their quantity.
You can usually find these analyses via a QR code on the product packaging. Producers must provide these analyses (performed by an independent laboratory), and the pharmacist must verify them.
You can therefore absolutely buy your CBD product at your local pharmacy or any other pharmacy in France.
NB: Regulations may differ depending on the country. In Belgium, for example, it is forbidden to sell food products or food supplements containing CBD (with or without THC!). Except for derogations issued batch by batch and product by product... So, as of today, you cannot buy gummies, drinks, infusions with hemp plant, or sublingual oil in a pharmacy in Belgium.
Products authorized for sale in pharmacies in France
For CBD, 3 categories of products are authorized for sale in French pharmacies:
- Cosmetic products containing CBD (this includes topical creams, shampoo...)
- Foodstuffs and food supplements with CBD (infusions, gummies..., but also sublingual oils as they are swallowed, and capsules)
- Vaping products (subject to compliance with European regulations)
As you might have guessed, smoking products, such as flowers, are strictly prohibited from sale in pharmacies. Smoking is bad for your health, and it would go against the pharmacist's ethics to sell such a product.
Given that flowers can be smoked with tobacco, even if many use them in a vaporizer, pharmacists prefer to apply the precautionary principle.
Vaping products are allowed, but you will rarely find them in pharmacies, for the same reason you won't find flowers.
The most commonly offered products are Broad spectrum CBD products. These products are THC-free. However, it is possible to find products that contain THC at a level below 0.3%. These products are called Full spectrum.
Stilla Laboratory, for example, specializing in phytocannabinoids exclusively for pharmacies, has collections for both types of products (full spectrum and broad spectrum) in its catalog.
Good news then, you can absolutely find CBD oil, topical creams, and CBD drinks in pharmacies!
Before weighing the pros and cons of buying CBD at a pharmacy, let's briefly review the benefits of CBD.
Why buy CBD?
Fashion trend, therapeutic interests, why is CBD successful?
Well-being interests
Cannabidiol, called CBD, is establishing itself as a natural solution that can, sometimes, replace certain treatments with undesirable and bothersome side effects.
This is why CBD is becoming increasingly successful. The most "popular" benefit is its anti-stress, anxiolytic effect. Thanks to interactions with our endocannabinoid system, CBD brings relaxation and calm to our body and mind.
Consumers turn to CBD for several reasons:
- Need a natural and effective solution for sleep
- Its de-stressing effects bring relaxation and calm conducive to better sleep
- Taking CBD can improve sleep and prevent nocturnal awakenings.
- Seeking a solution to relieve chronic pain
- Its anti-inflammatory actions can soothe pain due to endometriosis
- CBD relieves cramps and prevents muscle fatigue.
- Benefits in cosmetics: anti-hair loss, helps treat acne, anti-wrinkle actions…
The various forms available, topical creams, oils, drinks... allow for varied uses and applications.
Health/therapeutic interests
Regarding therapeutic uses, the properties of cannabidiol are, again, numerous.
Only one medication has, for the moment, been validated by the High Authority for Health (HAS). This is EPIDYOLEX, a medication used in the treatment of certain epileptic seizures (epileptic seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or Dravet syndrome). It is given by prescription and helps reduce the frequency and spasms of seizures.
Its anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-stress properties are also popular for relieving other disorders.
This is the case for psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, anxiety disorders; Parkinson's disease; addiction problems (tobacco and cocaine); skin diseases or cancer.
All this is still at the hypothesis stage, and there are not enough studies for scientific validation. Currently, the results and feedback from testimonials are promising.
To return to pharmacies, the website of the Order of Pharmacists has collected statements from pharmacists who have followed patients treated with CBD (interview March 2022). The pharmacists interviewed accompanied patients treated for various health problems:
- neuropathic pain,
- palliative care,
- multiple sclerosis.
Both health professionals unanimously report positive experiences! Caroline Lebert, a volunteer, states that taking CBD "has changed the lives of some patients who now have less pain and can sleep."
In some cases, the role of pharmacists is limited to ordering and supplying the prescribed CBD. Others have undergone training and have exchange times with patients to advise them on uses, percentages, and appropriate dosages. Thanks to these exchanges, they have the opportunity to follow the evolution of effects. They ensure the proper use of the product.
With or without training, all have some knowledge of CBD and its properties.
Where to buy CBD?
So, what do you think? Pharmacy, online purchase, or specialized stores? We will weigh the pros and cons.
In pharmacies: advantages and disadvantages
After reading the first paragraphs, you know that you can buy CBD in pharmacies and that the products offered are, normally, guaranteed in terms of quality. What are the other advantages and what would be the disadvantages.
In the list of reasons to buy from a pharmacy, we can note:
- Advice. If the staff is trained. Which is not always the case.
- You don't have delivery times or shipping costs, unless the product is not available and needs to be ordered.
- You are dealing with health professionals. Their goal is to advise you as best as possible, without taking sides for a particular product. Their opinions are, normally, neutral and benevolent.
The disadvantages:
- Few products available. If vaping is allowed, it is rare to find distillate in pharmacies. You may have to visit several before finding what you're looking for. For flowers, it's a lost cause. CBD in food for animals is also banned from pharmacies (see the list of authorized products at the beginning of the article).
- They are not CBD experts, and not all have received training on CBD in general or on the CBD products sold in their pharmacy. Due to lack of training, pharmacists refrain from advising on milligrams dosage, posology, or even usage... Most often, they still know the properties. Several pharmacists interviewed on the subject said they offer CBD as a natural solution for sleep. This alternative is appreciated (by customers and pharmacists!) because medications to combat insomnia often cause dependence and undesirable side effects.
The pharmacists interviewed for this article have all already sold and/or offered CBD. According to them, the benefits sought are primarily pain relief. Customers who bought CBD for this effect are mostly satisfied and remain loyal to the tested product.
Another property highlighted is aid for falling asleep. This is the only advice they all agree to give, with or without training. They most often encourage testing CBD oil when the customer wants a natural solution to combat insomnia and doesn't know which one to choose. The majority of feedback is, again, positive!
In conclusion, buying from a pharmacy is great when you're new to CBD if you're lucky enough to find a trained pharmacist, or if you have a prescription!
Buying online or in-store: advantages & disadvantages
Buy online or in a specialized store?
The advantages:
- In both cases, you are dealing with hemp experts! You benefit from precise advice on each product, technical information, as well as on the properties and benefits of different forms (absorption speed, CBD level, uses...). In-store, you have a person in front of you, practical for getting quick answers. On a website, or a brand's social networks, you can ask your questions via message and chat with an expert. At Canebiera, for example, we take the time to answer calls to guide people towards specific products, but also to provide personalized advice on individual uses and needs.
- You have more choices! Flowers, drinks, gummies, topical creams, oils (broad and full spectrum), CBD for animals, but also tools like vape pens or vaporizers.
- (Normally) you can identify the origin of the raw material (hemp plants). Producers who sell and distribute their products enjoy reliable traceability. And if the brand is French, it's a great way to actively participate in the local economy.
The disadvantages:
- The offer is so vast that it is sometimes difficult to navigate. How to recognize quality CBD? What percentage do you need? How does it work? It's best to educate yourself by reading articles on the subject to know the criteria for buying the best CBD brand.
- For online purchases, you need to allow for delivery time and shipping costs (even if most sites offer free delivery above a certain purchase amount).
Buying online or in-store suits people who consume or know a bit about CBD. This doesn't mean you have to be experts! You can ask all your questions via chat, email, or other means. The range of products is more varied, and some forms, like flowers or distillate, are not always available in pharmacies. These places of purchase are also favored thanks to promotional offers or price reductions on bulk purchases.
Some expert websites can provide you with valuable advice on dosage, posology, percentage, and the most suitable form for your needs... All thanks to their expertise in CBD and the testimonials of other consumers.
