The Reasons UK Legal CBD Is Everywhere This Year

Is CBD in the UK Legal?
CBD products are legal as long as they satisfy certain standards, such as having 0% THC. CBD products are legally permitted to sell in 'high street shops,' provided they comply with EU regulations as well as the Misuse of Drugs Regulations.
Not all online and high street sellers offer safe and reliable products. This guide from CBD RAIDERS can help you to determine what you should look for.
Legality
The UK CBD market is expanding mostly due to the increasing availability of high-quality, non-psychoactive cannabis. However there are a variety of questions around the legality of CBD. Oil is the most commonly used type of CBD and is found in a variety of products, such as cosmetics and health supplements. These products are available in stores and online. CBD is a source of cannabidiol, a compound that has numerous medicinal properties. It also contains other phytocannabinoids, such as CBG CBN and CBC. These phytocannabinoids could help regulate the effects of THC, which is responsible for the euphoric sensations that marijuana users experience. THC induces euphoria by activating specific receptors in the mind. These receptors are referred to as the endocannabinoid systems.
The CBD present in consumer products like vape juice and gummies originates from the low-THC cannabis, or 'hemp' plant. The hemp plant is grown under the required licence with a view to producing seeds and fibre for commercial uses like hemp oil, clothing and building materials. The conditions of the licence require farmers to destroy any part of the plant that contain high levels of THC (flower and buds).
Yet, the cannabis industry is finding ways to circumvent the restrictions and some companies claim their products are exempt from the Misuse of Drugs Act under the category of 'exempt product'. This exemption allows the presence of up to 1% THC but only if certain requirements have been satisfied.
This has led to confusion in the market. For instance, some shops believe the THC limit for CBD vape juice is 0.2%. This is not true. The legal limit for THC in CBD vape juice is 1mg per container/bottle.
The Home Office published a report recently on the legality CBD. The report cites peer-reviewed scientific papers as well as government reports (UK & international) as well as an ACMD call for evidence and earlier ACMD recommendations. It concludes that the current scenario is not sustainable, and recommends that the legal framework for CBD for consumers CBD should be established.
Benefits
The UK CBD market is growing and there is growing consumer curiosity about the potential health benefits of this cannabinoid. It is a non-psychoactive molecule and is found in various products, including capsules, edibles, drinks and vaping liquids. It can also be found in hemp oil that is available in health food stores as well as on the high-street. Certain untrustworthy producers have profited from the acclaim of their product by claiming false information about its benefits. It is essential for consumers to be aware of the difference between different types of CBD.
The CBD in most of the UK products currently available is derived from a plant known as Industrial Hemp or 'Cannabis Sativa L.' This plant is grown under a license to cultivate low-9-THC cannabis for seeds and fiber and it is used for a wide variety of applications, including clothing, paper rope, building materials and rope. Farmers are required to eliminate plants that have more than 1 mg of THC. This is a condition of the license because tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is psychoactive and can trigger the sensation of a "high.
CBD extracted from the plant does not possess psychoactive effects, but it still contains phytocannabinoids such as CBN, THC, and CBC. These phytocannabinoids have no physical or mental effects, but they can help regulate the balance of neurotransmitters inside the body. This helps to promote calmness and decrease the risk of anxiety and depression.
Unlike THC which is illegal for sale in general The phytocannabinoids present in CBD are not regulated and therefore, they can be sold legally. However the UK is not yet fully accepting this, and it will require some time for regulations to change and the market to grow.
Trading Standards monitor the market and can seize any product that makes health or medical claims that does not have a valid Novel Food Authorisation from the FSA. The Chartered Institute of Trading Standards also surveys the market and can conduct lab testing of CBD-based products available in shops.
Dosage
The CBD that is available in the UK as an ingredient in food supplements, a health product and in vapes (cigs) is mainly from industrial hemp and is also referred to as Cannabis sativa L. Industrial hemp is cultivated for its seeds and fibres and is not psychoactive. THC. The plant is grown under an official Home Office licence, which only allows cultivation of it for preparations that contain the mature stalk fiber, seeds or fibre - not flowers and leaves. To produce CBD for consumer products the entire plant needs to be processed, including the flower and leaves. This produces a 'CBD Isolate product, but it still contains varying amounts other phytocannabinoids in the plant.
The concentrations of these additional phytocannabinoids can vary among different strains of the cannabis plant and even between the plants grown under the same conditions. There isn't much information regarding the psychoactive effects these other phytocannabinoids possess at levels that could be present in CBD products for consumers. So, in this regard, it was decided that it was appropriate to limit the amounts of 9-THC and its precursor (9-THCA) in consumer CBD products to a level at which they are not likely to cause significant psychoactive effects.
It was also decided that a limit should not be set for the other controlled phytocannabinoids, since it is very difficult to quantify them, and setting limits for them could put unnecessary restrictions on producers. There is also a lack of evidence to suggest that other phytocannabinoids have clinical significance.
The Working Group concludes by recommending that the maximum amount of 9-THC or 9THCA per unit of consumption in the form of a CBD product intended for consumption by consumers be set at 50 milligrams. The limit should be reviewed after two years. The Working Group also recommends that an analysis of the phytocannabinoids controlled in consumer CBD products be conducted by Dstl, to ensure that these limits are in compliance with the regulations.
The Working Group has based its recommendations on the available literature, government reports (UK and international), a call for evidence from the ACMD (ACMD, 2021) and earlier ACMD reports. In addition the Group has had discussions with representatives of industry, and with the staff of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and the Government Chemist's Team.
Safety
CBD is derived principally from hemp (Cannabis sativa). The majority of hemp in the UK is harvested for its fibers, which are used in rope, clothing, and building materials. The flowers and buds of the plant can't be consumed. Farmers are required to destroy or leave the bud and flowers to rot on the farm. They can only harvest stalks and seeds to make hemp oil, CBD tinctures, and other CBD-based CBD products.
The majority of the consumer CBD products are made up of a mix of other phytocannabinoids in addition to CBD. These other phytocannabinoids include trans-dimethyl-tetrahydrocannabinol ( The Misuse of Drugs Act of 1971 regulates cannabinoids like 9-THC and other cannabinoids. It is challenging to extract these phytocannabinoids controlled by the law from CBD products, and it is impossible to determine the amount of these controlled cannabinoids contained in the final CBD product.
In the absence of legislation requiring the testing of these phytocannabinoids controlled, the 9-THC levels in consumer CBD products can differ greatly. A Defence Science and Technology Laboratory study of 43 commercial CBD products found 16 (37%) contained more than 5mg of 9THC. This can result in psychoactive effects similar to alcohol units of standard (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, 2020a).
A limit on THC is in place in the UK but there are other rules that must be adhered to by the producers of CBD products. Drinks and foods that contain CBD are required to, for example conform to novel food regulations, which means that they must be approved prior to being sold. This could take as long as a year and can cost tens of thousands of pounds.
In 2023, compliant CBD oils will remain legal to purchase in the UK provided they contain a maximum of 1mg of THC per bottle. There are UK CBD oil that aren't controlled, and are likely to be available for purchase very long given the evidence. These unregulated products will be confiscated by the police. To avoid this, consumers should only purchase products from trusted manufacturers.