Is CBD Oil Legal in the UK?
If you live in the UK and are eager to try CBD oil but aren’t sure if it’s legal, consider this blog post written just for you.
We’ve covered everything you need to know about the legal status of CBD oil in the UK, including THC limits, product classifications, where to buy the best products, and more.
Keep reading to learn more about CBD oil legal in the UK, so you too can enjoy the myriad of potential benefits countless consumers have discovered with CBD.
Key Takeaways
- CBD oil can be legally purchased in the UK if it’s sourced from approved Hemp strains grown with less than 0.2% THC, is sold as a food supplement, and contains less than 1mg total of THC in the final product.
- CBD products must obtain Novel Food authorization from the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) to be classified as a food supplement and be sold legally.
- These regulations aim to eliminate poor-quality CBD oils from the market, but consumers are still encouraged to check product labels and third-party lab results.
Can You Legally Buy CBD Oil In The UK?
Yes, you can legally buy CBD oil in the UK. CBD products just need to meet specific criteria. This includes sourcing approved strains of Hemp, THC concentration, and products being sold as a food supplement and not a medicine.
The classification of CBD oil in the UK helps stop companies from making unsubstantiated medical claims about their products. It also ensures that products are regulated to some degree before hitting store shelves.
Since 2020, the UK has required CBD food and drink products to obtain a Novel Food authorization from the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA).
CBD companies submit a toxicological data report to the FSA for review to get this authorization. It can take upwards of a year to get approval and cost up to 50,000 pounds or more.
Legal CBD oil must be sourced from approved Hemp strains in the UK, which are required to contain less than 0.2% THC during the growing phase.
This leads to a common misconception that for CBD oil to be legal in the UK, products need to have less than 0.2% THC. But this isn’t the case.
CBD oil is legal as long as there is less than 1mg total CBD per container or bottle and no detectable levels of CBN.
Regulations Governing CBD Oil
As mentioned above, CBD oil legal in the UK must be classified as a food supplement and requires a Novel Food authorization from the FSA.
The European Commission determines Novel Foods. These are foods or supplements that have not been significantly consumed prior to May 1997 and include things like chia seeds, agave, fish oil, and more.
All the foods on this list are regulated to ensure they’re safe for consumers and accurately labeled. This way, they don’t mislead consumers who may not know much about them.
CBD and other cannabinoids joined the Novel Foods list in January 2019, when the FSA started regulating CBD products sold in the UK.
Because it adds additional manufacturer responsibilities, such as product testing, it increases the cost of manufacturing and production for CBD companies.
However, these additional requirements benefit the entire CBD industry in the UK. Ultimately, these standards help weed out CBD companies with poor standards and low-quality products.
Companies must source their CBD from high-quality Hemp plants that meet regulation standards, using approved strains that contain less than 0.2% THC. There are zero exceptions here.
What Does This Mean For You?
As a CBD consumer in the UK, this benefits you in a handful of ways.
For starters, there’s less product selection than there was before. While this may initially seem negative, I assure you it’s not. The CBD market is flooded with products, some great and some that are downright awful.
The low-quality products are getting the axe and falling from the shelves. Talk about eliminating overwhelm! Less product selection allows you to make a well-informed decision about the high-quality CBD products in the UK market.
Only approved Hemp strains with less than 0.2% THC meet the criteria set for CBD oil in the UK. This means companies can’t cut corners and make their CBD oil from cheap plants with no industry standards.
CBD brands in the UK must invest in transparent practices, like disclosing their Hemp sources and third-party testing that ensures their quality. Low-quality CBD oil brands that don’t (or can’t afford to) do this simply don’t make the cut.
Unfortunately, this can negatively affect you as a consumer in a few ways.
There are no real full-spectrum products available on the market. All products have to have less than 1mg of THC per container and cannot contain any CBN. So, consumers are nearly always limited to broad-spectrum or CBD isolate products.
The cost of getting regulatory approval is also expensive. As a result, some smaller artisan brands have gone out of business. The Novel Food authorization can be too expensive even if the brand produces high-quality products.
Purchasing Legal CBD Oil In The UK
Purchasing legal CBD oil in the UK isn’t complicated when you know what to look for. Some quick tips for getting legal and quality products?
For one, always check the THC content of the entire container. Look for 1mg THC or less in the whole bottle.
Next, look at the product classification. You should see some indication that the CBD oil product is a food supplement and has novel foods authorisation.
You can find legal CBD oil in the UK at local vitamin and supplement stores or CBD shops. You can also purchase CBD online from several reputable CBD companies.
At Nature and Bloom, we extensively review legal hemp products (like CBD oil), so our readers can access a variety of legal, safe, and quality products at any time.
Avoid common pitfalls like not checking third-party lab tests and verifying label information. Although CBD oil in the UK is regulated, there’s still the chance you might find a mislabelled product.
To avoid this, don’t just focus on price. Instead, check the Hemp source for CBD and look for the proper authorization.