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Can teenagers take CBD in Australia?

Only on prescription. Pharmacist-only CBD is for adults, and for under-18s the TGA expects support from a paediatrician or specialist. Evidence in teens is thin.

Facts checked 13 November 20263 min readHow we research

Only on prescription. CBD can be prescribed to people under 18, and for these patients the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) expects the prescriber to provide supporting evidence from a paediatrician or relevant specialist.1 The pharmacist-only category in law is limited to “persons aged 18 years and over”.2

What does the evidence show in young people?

The only use supported by strong trials is prescription CBD for a few rare, severe epilepsies, under specialist care with regular liver blood tests.3 Epidyolex is registered in Australia for Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes from age 2.3 See what is Epidyolex?

For other conditions the evidence is weak.

  • Anxiety. An Australian study gave CBD, built up to as much as 800 mg a day, to 31 people aged 12 to 25 whose anxiety had not responded to treatment. Self-rated anxiety fell 42.6% over 12 weeks, but there was no placebo group, so a placebo effect cannot be ruled out.4 A placebo-controlled follow-up was recruiting in late 2024, and we found no results as of November 2026.5
  • Across youth mental health. A review concluded the evidence is “insufficient to broadly recommend cannabinoids” for mental disorders in young people.6

Why are doctors cautious with teenagers?

  1. Long-term effects are unknown. Controlled trials in children ran for about 14 weeks.7 In juvenile rats, CBD given for 10 weeks delayed sexual maturation in males.8 Animal findings do not always apply to people, but they are a reason for caution during development.
  2. Interactions. In six young people taking the antidepressants citalopram or escitalopram, adding CBD raised citalopram blood levels.9 See can you take CBD with antidepressants?
  3. THC exposure. Products sold as CBD outside the prescription system can contain THC. In a United States study, only 31% of 84 online CBD products were accurately labelled.10

What side effects were seen in young people?

In the epilepsy trials, where the average age was 14, sleepiness affected 23% to 25% on CBD against 8% on placebo, and decreased appetite 16% to 22% against 5%.7 Weight loss of at least 5% was seen in 16% on CBD and 8% on placebo.7

What should parents ask?

  • Is there trial evidence for CBD in my teenager’s condition, and at what dose?
  • How does it compare with other treatments?
  • Which current medicines could interact, and what blood tests are needed?

If a child or teenager swallows a cannabis product that was not prescribed for them, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26.11

Read the full guide: CBD for children and teenagers.

Footnotes

  1. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Consultation paper: reviewing the safety and regulatory oversight of unapproved medicinal cannabis products, August 2025. https://consultations.tga.gov.au/medicines-regulation-division/test-soms/user_uploads/final---consultation-paper---medicinal-cannabis-review---august-2025.pdf ↩

  2. Australian Government. Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard, October 2026) Instrument 2026, Schedule 3 cannabidiol entry. https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L01327/asmade/2026-09-30/text/original/pdf ↩

  3. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Epidyolex: Australian prescription medicine decision summary. https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/auspmd/epidyolex ↩ ↩2

  4. Berger M and others. Cannabidiol for treatment-resistant anxiety disorders in young people: an open-label trial. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35921510/ ↩

  5. Orygen. CANCAN study: frequently asked questions for clinicians, November 2024. https://www.orygen.org.au/Research/Currently-recruiting/CANCAN-study/CANCAN-FAQ-CLINICIANS-November-2024.aspx ↩

  6. Review of cannabinoids for mental disorders in young people, 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11657296/ ↩

  7. Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Epidiolex (cannabidiol) oral solution, US prescribing information, DailyMed (accessed November 2026). https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=8bf27097-4870-43fb-94f0-f3d0871d1eec ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  8. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Epidyolex (cannabidiol) Australian Product Information, version attached to the AusPAR, January 2021 (may be superseded). https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/auspar-cannabidiol-210115-pi.pdf ↩

  9. Anderson LL and others. Citalopram and cannabidiol: in vitro and in vivo evidence of pharmacokinetic interactions relevant to the treatment of anxiety disorders in young people. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1097/JCP.0000000000001427 ↩

  10. Bonn-Miller and others. Labelling accuracy of 84 cannabidiol products sold online. JAMA, 2017. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2661569 ↩

  11. healthdirect. Poisoning (Poisons Information Line 13 11 26). https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/poisoning ↩

This page is general information, not medical or legal advice. Laws and evidence change; we show the date we last checked the facts at the top of every page. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

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