The passage of the 2018 Farm Bill made modern CBD marketplace for horses—and people—possible. Under that legislation, industrial hemp (with THC content of 0.3 percent or less) is no longer considered a banned/controlled substance under federal law. Generally, people in all 50 states can purchase products containing CBD derived from hemp by mail. But each state may impose its own regulations and restrictions on these and related products.

Different jurisdictions

Joyce Harman, DVM, advises double-checking your jurisdiction’s rules. “Regulations concerning CBD change daily,” she says. “If a product website says they can’t ship to your state, this means it is not supposed to be shipped across state lines into your state, but this doesn’t mean you can’t buy it in your state.”

Food and Drug Administration regulations

Under Food and Drug Administration regulations, CBD manufacturers do not have to prove efficacy before going on the market. Nor do most jurisdictions enforce quality control standards. The exception is the state of California, which requires a certificate of analysis (COA) for CBD products. “It is conceivable in that more states will say this looks good and adopt California’s regulations concerning CBD,” Harman says.

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