UK food authorities reduce recommended daily intake of isolated CBD

The U.K. Food Standards Agency (FSA) announced in a press release that it was lowering the recommended daily limit of 70 mg of CBD to 10 mg, citing risks to the liver and thyroid problems.

10 milligrams of CBD per day is equivalent to four or five drops of 5% CBD oil. The previous guidelines, from 2020, set a much higher limit of 70 mg per day.

«The more CBD you consume over the course of your life, the greater your risk of developing long-term side effects, », such as liver damage or thyroid problems," said Professor Robin May, chief scientific advisor to the FSA.

Mr. May suggested that consumers check the labels on the products they use and consider following this new advice. «The level of risk is related to the amount consumed, as is the case with other potentially harmful products such as alcoholic beverages.»

According to the FSA, this change in the gear ratio is based on new data provided by certain industry stakeholders as well as on input from its independent scientific committee.

This change is expected to shake up the UK CBD industry, as some products currently on the market contain more than 10 mg of CBD per serving. However, the recommendation is merely advisory, and regulators are not requiring that the products be removed from store shelves.

Marika Graham-Woods, executive director of the Cannabis Trades Association, a British association with 200 members, has declared to Guardian that this decision was unfair and that the new guidelines were merely advisory.

«All this does is scare consumers and retailers and prevent the industry from moving forward. I don't see any benefit in what they've done.».

The FSA stated that consuming more than 10 mg of CBD per day posed «no acute safety risk» based on the data it had evaluated. However, above this level and over a certain period of time, «there is evidence of certain adverse effects on the liver and thyroid.».

The FSA’s data are not yet known. The European Hemp Association (EIHA) has indicated that the FSA’s data are based on doses of CBD isolate, not on full-spectrum products. It also clarified that this maximum dose would remain merely a guideline and would not result in any regulatory oversight or changes to the products sold.

From Previous studies have identified a risk to the liver In the event of massive and repeated CBD intake, at doses starting at more than 600 milligrams per kilogram of body weight—equivalent to 42 grams of pure CBD per day for a 70-kilogram adult.

The U.S. company Mile High Labs, whose cannabis extracts are approved for sale in the U.K., has requested in a press release «An urgent meeting with the FSA to seek greater transparency regarding the ongoing review of safety data and to understand why precautionary advisories were issued without a review of all relevant data.».

«It is important to note that Mile High Lab’s toxicological data were not included in the FSA’s risk assessment process or in the resulting report, as only three applications were selected for the assessment of the acceptable daily intake (« ADI»). If we take into account all of Mile High Lab’s proprietary data and apply the same criteria as the commission’s approach, this would result in a recommended daily dose significantly higher than the recommended 10 mg per day.»