So, you want to know if you can buy CBD oil in Australia? We’re going to explain exactly how and where you can do this.
We’ll cover the steps involved, the costs, the dangers and everything in between. If you’d like step-by-step instructions to help with accessing CBD oil in Australia, you can click here to access the guide.
CBD OIL ACCESS GUIDE
How to access CBD oil in Australia?
We'll deliver, straight to your inbox, exactly how you can access CBD oil in Australia. We'll include the steps, pricing and things you should look out for.
We’ve spent the last few years buying, trying and crying over CBD oil. We’ve imported the stuff, bought it from the green/black market, we’ve applied through medical pathways, and we’ve spoken to countless companies, doctors, patients, farmers and stakeholders within Australian medicinal cannabis communities.
We’re sharing our findings so that you don’t make the same mistakes we did when buying CBD oil online.
Where to Buy CBD oil in Australia
When it comes to buying cannabidiol oil in Australia, you have 2 main options.
The legal, medical market, and the illegal black (or green) market (online and offline). All options have their pros and cons, which we’ll detail in the article.
Accessing legal CBD oil safely through a medical pathway is possible, but it’s certainly not always easy and doesn’t always guarantee a quality product or experience.
It is possible to buy quality CBD oil from the black market, but it’s difficult. If you decide to do this, it’s important to be careful and understand the costs (and more importantly), the dangers.
You can get safe, tested CBD oil products and helpful customer service through the green market pathway, but it’s really important you do your research. If you’d like step-by-step instructions to help with buying CBD oil in Australia, you can click here to access the guide.
4 ways to buy CBD oil Australia
Finding a consistent, high-quality CBD oil can absolutely change your life for the better. The benefits of CBD are undeniable.
Here are four ways to access this healing cannabinoid in Australia.
1. Find a ‘Green Market’ Australian seller
If you don’t want to go down the medical pathway, you might consider seeking CBD oil through the green market in Australia.
62% of Australians surveyed access CBD oil through illicit pathways, with 47% stating prescribed CBD is too expensive.
It is possible to access safe and tested products through the green market. But if you do, you need to be extremely careful as some companies sell products containing no CBD at all!
If you choose to access it through the green market, it’s worth investing time into research.
2. Find a medical cannabis clinic
This is the only way to legally buy CBD oil in Australia at the moment.
While it is getting easier to access CBD oil medically, it can still be difficult. A lot of GP’s are ignorant to the research and reluctant to provide this plant and medicine as a potential treatment option.
If you’ve suffered from anxieties, sleep disorders, and pains (chronic and sometimes mild), there’s a chance you’ll qualify for medicinal cannabis, including CBD oil.
Ideally, you should find a clinic with Doctors who specialise in cannabis medicine. Many online clinics no longer require a referral from your GP, so you can simply book a telehealth appointment online.
3. Import CBD from an overseas company willing to ship to Australia (illegal)
So, can you buy CBD online and ship to Australia? Technically yes, but there are some important things to understand first.
While this is often the cheapest and easiest method, it’s also the most unsafe, especially here in Australia. The one we’d recommend least. Don’t fall for the free shipping and fake reviews.
You run the risk of having the product seized at customs, or worse.
4. Low-dose CBD in pharmacies
In the last few years, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved low-dose cannabidiol oil in Australia to be made legally available as an over-the-counter medicine in pharmacies without a prescription.
There are a lot of unknowns in this scenario as no OTC CBD oils have been approved for sale, it remains to be seen whether it will be a full-spectrum CBD oil or an isolate product.
We also lack a solid benchmark for the price of CBD oil over the counter in Australia. However, one of the main objectives of this option is to increase accessibility and decrease cost.
Sadly, we can’t just nip down and grab some CBD oil from Priceline for the moment, we are unlikely to see any products in pharmacies until at least some time in 2023.
However, it will eventually offer consumers another avenue to legally purchase CBD oil Australia.
I’m sure many people are looking forward to easily accessing cannabidiol oil in Chemist Warehouse or other local pharmacies.
Buying CBD oil through the ‘green market’ in Australia
It is possible you can ask around your local communities and/or join online groups and forums to find Australian sellers of cannabidiol oil in Australia.
Proceed with caution. While there are a number of quality green market suppliers, there are also scammers selling products with no CBD whatsoever.
Step-by-step guide
If you’d like step-by-step instructions to help with accessing CBD oil in Australia, you can click here to access the guide.
Research and join online groups
If you search for ‘Australian CBD oil groups Facebook’ and join some communities (ideally ones that are not run by companies selling cannabis oil), you’ll find some references, contacts and products with some legwork.
Here is an example: CBD Oil Reviews Australia
Local community and alternative health professionals/shops
Another option is to ask people in your local community. This is ‘illegal’ and may land you in an awkward conversation. So again, proceed with caution.
I initially joined Facebook groups, read a lot, asked around, and got a phone number to text. The company messaged me back with details on the different products I could purchase.
The quality of the information in the text message indicated they knew what they were talking about. I paid for and received the product. It was $250 for a 50ML bottle of high CBD, low THC oil (at least this is what I was told).
Update: Since originally writing this article, I’ve been able to access high quality organic CBD oil through a quality greenmarket seller for around $190. They are able to provide me with lab reports and quality information about the products. The products have been effective for myself and my friends.
Should You Buy CBD oil online from Overseas [what are the dangers?]
Aside from the fact you’re doing something illegal, there are a number of additional risks to consider in Australia.
The worst-case scenario ranges from wasting money on inferior products containing harmful toxins and little to no CBD to getting into real legal strife.
Making an uninformed purchase from a faceless overseas company claiming to ship to Australia is nothing short of stupidity. Don’t do it.
After telling you that purchasing CBD products online isn’t a good idea, I’d like to confess I did exactly this. And this wasn’t even an attempt to research. It was a combination of desperation, impatience and … stupidity.
The first attempt resulted in me receiving poor quality, horrible tasting CBD vape juice, while the second attempt felt to have no CBD content at all.
How to get (tested, safe) cannabidiol oil from a doctor
Obtaining medical CBD (and medical marijuana) in Australia is becoming easier and cheaper. But it is by no means an easy process for everyone.
Going through the medical system can sometimes be daunting, depending on how open your GP is to CBD.
If you have an ongoing medical condition such as chronic pain, sleep or seizure disorders or a number of other conditions, and you’ve tried alternative methods of treatment or medication, you might qualify for medical cannabis in Australia.
Eligibility process:
- Take an eligibility test (you can do this online)
- Speak to your local GP to request a health summary (can be difficult)
- Book an appointment with a trained cannabis clinician (important) tele-health (Special Access Scheme)
If you decide to take the medical pathway, we can’t stress the importance of speaking to a trained cannabis practitioner and/or clinic. They need to understand the plant.
This is essential to ensure you get the most out of CBD oil and the extremely versatile cannabis plant.
A skilled cannabis practitioner might also recommend a product containing CBD and THC.
Most CBD oil you purchase through the green/black market will be derived from hemp, meaning it will be low in THC.
However, a doctor can prescribe and design you a medicinal cannabis product (oil, flower etc) containing both CBD and THC.
The amount of THC won’t necessarily make you high but will offer therapeutic effects you wouldn’t find in hemp-derived CBD oil.
It’s also possible to find a combination product through the green market.
Here are some helpful links.
Are you eligible for medical cannabis in Australia?
How much does CBD oil cost?
This is kind of like asking, ‘how much does a car cost?’
Buying CBD online, cheap (and usually nasty) can be done for as little as $60 AUD. But you’re probably getting next to no CBD. Who knows what’s in there. Bad idea. It can also cost as much as $500 or more.
It’s important to remember there are many different consumption methods and many different types of CBD. How the plant was grown, how the CBD oil was extracted, the terpene profile (and much, much more) all contribute to the end product.
It’s also important not to focus on the bottle size. What you are looking at is Mg of CBD. Prices for a milligram of CBD range from .07c to nearly $1 across both the legal medical and green markets. You’re being ripped off if you’re paying nearly $1 on either side.
To give you an example, I need roughly 20mg of CBD for a very mild effect. I’m paying about 0.20c per mg of CBD, which is around $4 per required dose.
Some people need less, some people need a lot more. It depends on you personally, and it depends on your conditions.
Is medicinal cannabis oil (CBD or THC) more expensive through the medical pathway?
You can get similar pricing through the medical pathway. Though it generally tends to be more expensive, there are cheaper, high-quality products on the green market.
According to the recently released Cannabis as Medicine Survery, patients accessing prescribed medical cannabis spend $58.60 per week, whereas illicit users are spending $79.20 per week.
You can generally assume a higher level of safety if you’re accessing CBD oil through a medical practitioner because more is at stake (shareholders, licences etc). But it’s certainly not quality guaranteed as many informational sources would lead you to believe.
Is CBD oil legal in Australia?
After diving into the pros and cons of each option described above, we must quickly clear up some confusion.
CBD oil Australia: What’s the legal low down?
Medical CBD products are legal and can be derived from hemp or cannabis plants.
Recreational CBD products are illegal, even if derived from the hemp plant, which is naturally low in THC.
Though things are changing, cannabis has been mostly withdrawn from the UN’s dangerous drug register, and CBD has been down-scheduled in Australia.
Plus, many medical cannabis businesses are actively funding further clinical trials and studies to provide additional data on the therapeutic benefits of medicinal cannabis.
You may have even experienced CBD benefits yourself or heard from others getting great results.
Hemp seed oils and CBD oil are NOT the same thing
Confusion arises because hemp seed oil (derived from hemp seeds) is legal and sold in Australia.
Hemp seed oil has an incredible range of nutritional health benefits, but it doesn’t contain any cannabinoids, therefore, doesn’t offer the same therapeutic benefits as medicinal cannabis.
Wondering where to buy hemp seed oil? You can legally purchase hemp food products in Australian supermarkets, petrol stations and health food shops. The cost shouldn’t be that much greater than high-quality olive oil.
It’s important to know that a CBD product may be labelled hemp oil. If so, triple-check the cannabidiol content stated on the bottle to ensure it is CBD.
To learn more about hemp seed oil, the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) has posted about some misleading claims made by overseas companies here.
Many Australian businesses are selling CBD oil, but labelling it as ‘hemp oil’ to avoid legal repercussions. So hemp oil could be CBD in disguise. Or, more likely, hemp seed oil with a huge price hike.
What to look for in a CBD Product
Most of the CBD products on the market are extracted from the hemp variety of cannabis. Meaning they only contain tiny amounts of THC. This is largely due to the fact that hemp-derived CBD is legal to sell in the US, and arguably less frowned upon in Australia.
If you’re working with a cannabinoid doctor, the CBD product may be derived from the marijuana variant of the plant. You will definitely have more transparency over the exact ratios.
The amount of THC won’t necessarily lead to you having a psychoactive effect but may be more beneficial from a medical and therapeutic standpoint.
If you can’t receive answers to these questions, you really shouldn’t be wasting your money or risking your health.
- How is the oil made?
- Is the oil full-spectrum CBD?
- Is the cannabis organically grown?
- Has the oil been independently tested?
We need to change the conversation
By far, the biggest tragedy is that people who could really benefit from CBD products aren’t given the opportunity to explore these incredible benefits with the use of a high-quality, affordable product.
They are sold either a poor-quality product or a product not suitable to their condition and unique physiology and/or given poor quality advice and education about their product and how to best use it. This can still be a risk with legal CBD oil products as well.
Numerous clinical trials demonstrate the efficacy of medical cannabis therapies in the human body, and it’s time to change the conversation surrounding CBD oils and medicinal cannabis.
Firstly, access to high-quality full-spectrum CBD oils can be achieved through the green market and medical pathway. People (including GPs) need to be made aware that this is not a ‘drug that will get you stoned and make you unproductive’.
Secondly, quality CBD oil is safe and does not get you high. It has little to no side effects. The fact that there is such a stigma and confusion around CBD is what ultimately encourages people to access CBD oil from dodgy sites and end up with poor-quality products such as CBD isolate or products that have very little CBD.
Have further questions?
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us in the comments section below or shoot us an email us.
I need to know WHERE to purchase CBD oil, of the highest quality, in Australia, (or overseas please.)
Hi Joan, thanks for contacting us. We’ve got a list of the best companies in Australia. We can send you more information.
Just contact us here: https://hinterlandco.com.au/contact-us/
🙂
Hi, can you please provide me the list of Australian companies who supply quality CBD oil?
Thank you!
Hi Jenny, yes we can. Just go to this page https://hinterlandco.com.au/contact-us/ and fill out the form. We’ll send you an email 🙂
Same queston as others, where can I purchase quality CBD oil near Woy Woy, NSW
We’ll give you a few options. Some companies are selling it online and posting it.
I have Lupus and in a lot of chronic pain all over my body especially my ears and legs and lower back I would like to know where I can purchases this without being ripped off
thank you
Hey Meg,
Sorry to hear about your condition.
As I’m sure you’ve researched, medical cannabis has shown a lot of promise in treating Lupus symptoms.
To answer your question, with your condition, we would recommend speaking to a doctor who has experience working with cannabis. You can generally get a consultation for the $150 mark with a $75 medicare rebate (with some doctors). The products will be more expensive, but not hugely different to the green market (AKA black market). You do need to ensure the pharmacies aren’t ripping you off! It’s disgusting, but some pharmacies are heavily up selling the product.
If you’re stuck, please get in touch with us via our contact page:
https://hinterlandco.com.au/contact-us/
All the best with your journey, let us know if we can help Meg
Informative.
Thank you!
Awesome information.
Thanky you Suda
Had a consultation recently with registered CBD Doctor in Cairns and later approved with script for 25mg of CBD and 25mg of THC a 40ml bottle for my prostate cancer, there is only one chemist here that can supply it like for $290! approx. a months worth. While I am a pensioner and financially secure this price seems excessive and not sure how long I can afford it, is there anywhere else I can buy it or is PBS approval pending?.
Hey Keith,
Thank you for sharing. Completely agree this is far too expensive and something needs to be done to reduce the price.
You can ask us ANY QUESTIONS you might have about CBD here: https://hinterlandco.com.au/contact-us/
Another alternative is to post about your product and script in the group CBD reviews Australia (facebook.com/groups/cbdreviewsaustralia).
People in that community will be able to tell you if this is/is not an acceptable price and give you some additional options.
Thanks again for writing in.
Good on you for sharing.
Thanks!
Trying to do our bit. We’ll be updating soon with more information! Feel free to sign up to receive new updates and information.
CBD for the win!
Agreed!
Hello and thank you for the wonderful information. Our 5yo beloved dog has a likely diagnosis of lymphoma after blood tests today. Madly reading tonight and CBD oil seems to have helped many young dogs like ours with this aggressive cancer. I’ll ask our vet about if when I see her again on Monday, but can you direct me anywhere to read about pets and CBD oil, please?
Thanks again for correcting a lot of misinformation I’ve read in the last two hours. I’d have gladly handed over $300 to a website, but I’m glad I dig deeper.
Jo Robertson, Darwin
Hey Jo,
Thanks for getting in touch, glad to hear we could help in some way. Sorry to hear about your sick doggo.
Things become a little more complicated when talking about cancer. This is not medical advice, but you may want to try a CBD and THC product.
I’d definitely recommend joining some of the Facebook groups we mention in the article and asking about your dog there. Get a more comprehensive review from your vet and ask the group if anyone has any similar situations and can help.
If you are still stuck, send us an email – info@hinterlandco.com.au and we can line you up with a consult.
We’ve just written and are about to publish it soon. If you signup to our newsletter, we’ll notify about it soon.
Best of luck
Thanks!
We hope we can play a small part in the movement of the whole
I have bowel and liver cancer in pain most hours of the day and night.
Probably at the moment l’m getting one relative pain free day a week.
The pain is affecting my living. Lying around trying to get comfortable watching tv.
Found your website very informative and lots of great information.
Hi Mick, we hope you can find some help. If you’d like more information about cannabis/CBD oil Doctors or products we recommend in Australia you can write to use here: https://hinterlandco.com.au/contact-us/
🙂 Thanks for helping me find a great supplier 🙂
We’re glad we could help you Laura 👍
Marketing professional lol 😂 stop trying to play god cbd oil is extremely easy make you know that and so do I cashing in on the vulnerable so sad
Hey Jay,
Would you be open to sharing with us how you make your CBD oil? We’re currently in the process of finding an easier solution so we can help people make their own. From our research and my own trials, it’s an extremely difficult process, especially in Australia. Sourcing high quality, low THC cannabis or hemp, or even growing is difficult. The process of decarbing the flower is difficult. Without considerable experience or equipment, I’d hardly say it’s an easy process.
I’d like to no more about Cbd oil n it’s cost please
Sure Sue, we’ll send you some more information. Just send us a message here: https://hinterlandco.com.au/contact-us/
Hi
My 19 year old daughter is severe autistic. I need to know where to buy cbd oil for her in Australia or overseas.
Hi Sarath, we can send you information on where to buy it in Australia. Simply fill out the information on this page https://hinterlandco.com.au/contact-us/
Hello! please tell me where can I buy cbd oil in melbourne I have bad arthritis also 2 stents in my arteries so should I even use this oil. Thank you
Howdy Anna,
If you submit the form on our contact page, we can help you out.
https://hinterlandco.com.au/contact-us/
I ordered CBD weeks ago..maybe months ..still no delivery..no contact…🤬🤬
Hey Michael,
Would you mind shooting us an email on info@hinterlandco.com.au and letting us know who you ordered from?
Hi everyone
I currently am prescribed lgp 10:10 so 10mg of each thc CBD. I have multiple sclerosis the thc is stopping the spasms I used to have overall I’m in a wheelchair without it. My doctor can prescribe it knowing I can’t drive or work without it. But police can still charge me DUI because of the thc. So docs can pass me on driving test then government and cops still charge you. I used to be on fentanyl patches high Lyrica was a zomby yet I still pass the driving test. Now taking the oil for 3 years I take 10 times less opioids.
Can higher levels of CBD help illuminate thc since I can’t drive a car in the back too front country thanks for any help
Hiya Brenton,
Thanks for the message. Stoked to hear the 10:10 LGP is helping you out. The cannabis/driving laws in Australia are flipping ridiculous, it’s a joke. There are serious questions about them not testing for things like cocaine, fentanyl and other harmful pharma medications. We hope this changes soon.
I think your question is can higher levels of CBD reduce the chances of getting pulled over? CBD can sometimes mitigate the impairing effects of THC, but they won’t make a difference to the THC being tested. You’d need to try a super low or zero THC product.
Hi
Thanks for all the information, my head is now spinning with it all.
Hopefully Australia can follow other countries and legalise it as the benefits are seeming too good to be true……but I have herd so many stories from people saying it was tge one thing that helped with issues like PTSD, anxiety and depression (after tgey had had years of prescribed antidepressants that never really worked for them)
What I would like to ask is, and I realise it sounds dumb, but if you take CBD oil (let’s say for argument sake there is little to zero THC in it) are you able to drive a vehicle? Will it get picked up on a road side testing kit???
For some reason I can’t seem to find an answer to this question.
Thank you for again for all the information you give, it is so helpful
Hi Karen, thanks for the comment 😃 the benefits of cannabis (both CBD and THC) are amazing, and we hear from people who’ve found relief using this natural medicine all the time. Not a dumb question at all; it’s actually one of the most common questions we receive and it’s tricky to answer, I’ll explain why. A full-spectrum CBD oil contains trace amounts of THC up to 0.3%, nowhere near enough to cause any type of impairment, but it works synergistically with CBD and other natural compounds to create a greater therapeutic effect. There’s no hard and fast answer here because it’s dependent on a number of factors unique to each person, such as: how much they are taking, how often they are taking it, how they’re consuming it. Also physiological factors such as height, weight, metabolism, and other medications consumed, all play a part in how quickly the cannabinoids are excreted from our system. Due to all these variables, there is always a possibility (even though small) that it could show in a roadside test. If you are concerned, you can purchase saliva drug tests from pharmacies or online and test your saliva. Hope this helps, it’s a bit of a grey area and the drug driving legislation needs to be updated to encompass medical cannabis patients who are consuming a non-impairing medicines.