Sailors and Marines Navy Service Members Prohibited to Use CBD Products, Says Navy Secretary

• Sailors in the Navy may be dishonorably discharged for taking any controlled substance that is not prescribed to them.
• The only products that sailors can use are topical remedies, like lotions and soaps.

CBD products may be legal to make, sell, and use in the United States, but it is clear that this option only applies to certain citizens. Richard Spencer, the Navy Secretary, recently issued a warning to sailors in a Wednesday press release, saying that they need to stay away from CBD products, despite their availability in convenience stores, farmers’ markets, and everything in between. According to Spencer, the trace amounts of THC are enough to ban service members from taking advantages.

In the release, Spencer states,

“Sailors and Marines are prohibited from knowingly using products made or derived from hemp, including CBD, regardless of the products’ THC concentration, claimed or actual, and regardless of whether such product may lawfully be bought, sold, and used under the law applicable to civilians.”

This ban includes trans-dermal and ingestible products.

The only sailors that will be permitted to use FDA-approved CBD products are individuals with a valid prescription for it. However, the only products that sailors appear to not be prevented from using are topical CBD products, like soaps, shampoos, lotions, and related products.

As a consequence, the release states that any sailor that ends up testing positive for any controlled substances without a prescription could be discharged dishonorably. If they are discharged in any way other than honorable, they put their future veteran’s benefits and future employment opportunities at risk.