For the past two years, as a Canadian citizen, I have possessed a medical marijuana license in Canada (where both medical and recreational marijuana is now legal), and I can connect with licensed retailers of medical marijuana and CBD-based products within Canada for my personal use. However, as a ‘snowbird’ living in Mexico for half the year, it’s been a learning experience on how to best deal with the issues surrounding the legality, availability, and purchasing CBD in Mexico for me to use.

This article focuses solely on the latter two items; the current availability and quality of CBD-based products in Mexico, that Mexico positions to me via the inquiries made over the past while along with the personal confusion from the ‘sufficiently vague’ responses. A future article will focus solely on the current legal issues in Mexico regarding the use of personal and medical marijuana/CBD products.

This is NOT to say that there isn’t anything illegal going on right now in Mexico, it’s just a real hodgepodge of legal matters the new Mexican federal government is currently dealing with as a result of the October 31st Supreme Court ruling. The new federal government is working on legislation, or a set of bills, to best govern the use of medical and personal marijuana in all 32 Mexican states.

Availability

As of the publication date of this article, medical marijuana and CBD in Mexico ‘is only available from a Mexican physician who has permission to issue the prescription, and the physician must operate within the civic boundaries of Mexico City.” If a Mexican citizen wishes to obtain a license/prescription for medical marijuana and/or CBD products, it’s a road trip to Mexico City! NONE of the physicians in the area I live in will refer me to such a doctor in Mexico City, because:

• I’m not a Mexican resident and
• My Canadian license is invalid in Mexico! The other means of availability is knowing someone who has personal access to it.

Internet Search

Starting my search via Google keywords and inquiries on social media platforms led to several responses that did nothing to add any clarity to the matter, nor easier to comprehend. Yes, I know being a man means I’m not good with details, but it was a real mess! For instance, Google returned a bunch of places outside Mexico that will import here, claiming that it’s legal for them to export it here; (however, it might not be legal to import the products!).

Social Media

Social media responses were a real #clusterf**k as some responders claim they were in Mexico, but acted as the ‘middle person’ or a distributor for the manufacturer while others were outside of the country.

They were more than happy to take my money and process the order with the manufacturer which, after much prodding I discovered could be located anywhere and the aforementioned issues surrounding customs clearance reared their ugly head.

MLM

Like others, I receive a plethora of responses from people who are into the MLM game, which provide absolutely no value to my quandary, and in fact, it only makes it worse! I now block them on all my social media platforms, and it’s disheartening how the old MLM or ‘networking business opportunity’ model has quickly permeated the CBD industry.

Unsavoury cliques are only interested in signing me up as a distributor, and/or unable or unwilling to provide any qualitative information on the shipping of their products. It is also interesting to see on social media how many other members or representatives from these MLM organizations are being warned off by other social media groups or members because of a variety of situations.

Non-Delivery Disclaimers

My next step was to contact companies and representatives, in different parts of the world, to confirm if all their CBD Mexico is available to me. The standard line is that it’s ‘legal for them to ship the CBD products to Mexico,’ and that they typically use couriers or via their country post office, which then turns them over to the Mexican postal service ( SEPOMEX) to complete the delivery.

However, their disclaimer was that they cannot guarantee delivery, as once it leaves their location it’s out of their control, and it’s up to Mexican Customs authorities if they inspect the package and/or refuse entry into Mexico! CBD products that contain no THC ‘should make it through,’ however, products with a blend of THC might become a target of drug-sniffing dogs, which puts the person ordering the product at risk and charged with importation of a controlled substance.

Vape Stores

In the Cancun/Playa Del Carmen/Tulum corridor, there are many ‘vape stores’ that sell the equipment to use medical marijuana and CBD-based products, but they disavow any access to the products, as it’s technically illegal for them to sell products. They even state that they do NOT want any further inquiries of this nature from us!

Quality Control

The value proposition for knowing what you’re putting in your body applies to the food you eat, the water you drink and the air you breathe, in Mexico, we drink water from bottles, and we bring our own ice to the beach for drinks and wash our fruit and vegetables before eating or cooking them, plus we’re careful about when and where we go outside, as my wife and I have asthma, so clear days rule!

The same logic and care apply to CBD in Mexico, as the last thing you need is a life-threatening allergic reaction to an unknown or unlisted additive in the CBD product/edible you’re using. In Canada, I can see a physician who confirms if I’m allergic to any drugs or substances, and engages me with providers that produce and sell the right products. I know what blends or mixes of CBD-based products are safe for me and able to select CBD only or a ratio of THC/CBD that best meets my needs and won’t get me an ambulance ride to the hospital or worse a mortuary gurney (although my wife knows my life insurance policy is in good standing!).

The same care applies when buying medical marijuana and/or CBD products from an unknown source, as one has to ask hard questions about the content of the specific product to confirm its safety. From my short experience with ‘distributors,’ ‘independent retailers,’ or ‘referral agents’ they are not able to answer the questions, and/or gloss over them to make a sale.

I’m sure many of the readers have not had an unpleasant experience and that’s great! But it’s critical to know what the CBD products contain so they help your condition, not inflame it or create a new set of medical grief!

Ratios of CBD/THC

It’s always a good practice to operate under the premise CBD/THC blend is in the product, as no product is 100% CBD or THC free; there’ll always be minute percentages or trace amounts of THC in CBD products, it’s just basic hemp plant botany, no matter how rigorous the straining process! If you are working for a company that has random drug tests and you’re taking ‘CBD only’ products, please remember there’ll be a trace amount of THC in your system.

Many manufacturers are now listing a ‘range’ of CBD/THC percentages in their product blends, which is a diversion from the hard-coded ranges that have been the historical benchmark. So may the buyer beware! Again, many of the reps I communicated with on social media did not explain these issues adequately enough; they replied that it was ‘all-natural’ …which means NOTHING!

Conclusion

I know the article sounds negative or similar to an insurance agent selling you a policy, however, for those CBD users planning a vacation, a longer stay, or who have just arrived in Mexico, please understand there’s a huge legal vacuum right now.

It’s the wild west and until the new laws and associated standards come into effect, it’s up to the individual to do their homework, ask the right questions and ensure that what they’re putting into their system will help them, and not cause more grief. The last thing one needs is to return home in a box or cremation urn!

DISCLAIMER

Furthermore, I do not know what rules apply/do not apply to licensed medical marijuana/CBD-based products for clients from jurisdictions outside of Canada, so I’m unable to speak with any legal authority about any agreements in process, or any agreements with a current standing that may exist between your particular country and Mexico. Please verify with the consulate or embassy staff from your particular country for a qualified explanation.

I look forward to your emails, letters, and tweets!

About the Author:

C.J. is a Canadian baby-boomer-aged comedian, who does not do winters, enjoys playing tennis, laying on the beach soaking up the sun, and watching the world go by. C. J has been using CBD-based products to manage his aches and pains for over two years.