The United Kingdom is the world’s largest producer and exporter of medical cannabis or marijuana, according to estimates by the United Nations. The country produces over 0.1 million kg of medical cannabis in a year, the International Narcotics Control Board has estimated. Laws governing medical CBD is relaxed in the UK in recent years. More and more people are using cannabis to treat major health issues like chronic pain, seizures, epilepsy, and depression. Among over 540 compounds found in a hemp or cannabis plant, more than 100 possess cannabinoid properties.
All cannabinoids exert different reactions in our bodies, leading to different effects and benefits.
Among all, cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are the most psychoactive compounds in a marijuana plant. THC causes high or intoxication, but CBD does not possess such properties and has grown in popularity. Due to its immense medicinal properties, it’s now widely popular among the masses. In this article, we’ll discuss laws governing CBD use in the UK.
Let’s dive in.
The growing use of hemp flower, bud, and laws
CBD flower and CBD bud, more commonly known as hemp flower and bud, are sold as ‘tea’ and other eatables in the United Kingdom. These products have a low and legal level of less than 0.2 percent THC. However, despite these claims, the CBD flower and bud come under controlled substances in the UK. The reason that CBD products still sell across shops and online is based on the ‘EU approved verities’ claim. As per the EU norms, flowers and buds containing less than 0.2 percent of THC can be sold online and offline.
However, the process in the UK is a bit more complex. The laws in the UK say that one can only process fiber and seeds for commercial usage. The most common seeds and fire products are hemp seeds and oil, while hemp fiber is used for construction work. The UK laws say bud and flower must be destroyed on the site. This means customers can neither sell them online nor offline.
CBD laws for importers and sellers in the UK
CBD regulations in the United Kingdom are different for importers and sellers. Firstly, you don’t require a hemp license even if you are dealing with the CBD business. If you are planning to import CBD from foreign markets, no strict rules apply as long as the THC content is not above the permissible limit of 0.1 percent. If you are into the cosmetic industry, you need to generate the Cosmetic Product Safety Report (RPSR). Those in the vaping business must possess the General Products Safety Directive from respective agencies. These rules don’t necessarily apply to the general public, i.e., those procuring a single product for personal use.
The novel food legal by law in the UK
CBD foods are officially present in the category of novel foods in the UK. The growing popularity of CBD has placed it in the category of novel foods in the United Kingdom. A novel food is a food that contains CBD. The businesses that intend to introduce novel food must apply for a license before the European Commission. Anything from CBD oils, capsules, and oral sprays to gummies, mints, and soft drinks comes in the novel foods category. Notably, foods utilizing CBD from cold-pressed hemp seed oil don’t come under novel foods.
How to apply for authorization
If you are into a business of importing or exporting CBD products, it is mandatory to apply for authorization of CBD products. Include all the products you plan to sell in your application. It should contain the information about each novel food or product you plan to sell. Follow all the guidelines mentioned on the EFSA website while applying for a license. Note that even if your product meets all the laid out norms, it may not necessarily mean that it’ll be authorized by the respective agency. The government assesses each application differently. There are rules under Article 4 of the Novel Food Regulations under which businesses can check if their product complies with the rules.
How to check if a product is legal in the UK?
The CBD compound does not come under the list of controlled substances in the UK. This means the product can be processed, sold, and imported into the country. The UK is among very few countries in the world that is far ahead of others on the road to legalization of CBD and allied products. However, the laws are still very strict and do not permit any product with more than 0.2 percent of THC content. The maximum limit that businesses can go to is 1mg per product. All kinds of paste and herbal products containing buds, resin, flowers, and leaves must meet this requirement before officially entering the market. Overall, it can be said that CBD is legal in the UK, but products must meet all the criteria, including the legal THC limit.
Views of UK people on laws governing cannabis
The rules governing cannabis are different in the UK and the US. The United States has approved two cannabinoid medicines, which can be used to treat chemotherapy-associated nausea. In the UK, CBD medicines — Epidyolex and Sativex — treat patients suffering from severe forms of epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. These two medicines were developed by the largest legal, medical marijuana exporter globally — GW Pharmaceuticals.
In 2018, a survey conducted by life sciences law firm Hill Dickinson sought to find views of the UK public about CBD laws.
The survey found that around 72 percent of the respondents support the use of medical cannabis. The respondents felt the CBD laws are perhaps stricter in the UK than countries like Canada and some states of the United States. Around 33 percent believed that cannabis is less harmful than more intoxicating alcohol. Given the positivity around CBD across the UK, a whopping 72 percent agreed that laws around CBD should be relaxed more, while only 8 percent disagreed. Around 35 percent said cannabis should be used for recreational purposes only.
