The UK will not consider CBD a narcotic

The United Kingdom rejected the European Commission's preliminary position that the CBD A derivative of the hemp flower should be regulated as a narcotic, according to the UK's food safety regulator.

According to the information from Hemp Industry Daily, the Food Standards Agency The Food Standards Agency (FSA) in London stated on Tuesday that, although British authorities continue to adhere to the requirements set forth by the European Novel Food Regulation and the European Food Safety Authority, they do not agree with the Commission’s assessment. The European Commission’s preliminary position on CBD is therefore not shared by the Home Office in the United Kingdom, a government department that oversees drug policy and law enforcement.

Last February, the United Kingdom decided that products CBD should be considered a novel food and, as such, receive the appropriate certification in order to be sold. Products already on the market will need to obtain this certification if they are to remain on store shelves beyond March 31, 2021.

«We will continue to treat CBD extracts as novel foods, and they will require certification,» said Paul Tossel of the FSA. «The applicant will have to prove that the products do not contain any narcotics.»

In July, the European Commission issued a statement stating that cannabidiol derived from hemp flowers should be considered a narcotic, citing the 1961 United Nations Single Convention, which, however, does not attach itself ...as well as the medical and scientific use of CBD.

If this position is made official, it would lead to a ban on hemp-derived CBD in Europe.