Will CBD vape oil be banned in the UK due to proposed FSA cannabidiol reclassification?

There is panic amongst UK CBD suppliers and retailers, as well as hundreds of thousands of CBD users across the UK.

It looks as though UK bureaucrats are about to ban cannabidiol (CBD) products after the EU made changes to its existing Novel Foods Regulations.

Source: http://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/novel_food/catalogue/search/public/index.cfm

Due to the changes, CBD could become illegal to be sold as a food product in the UK (and the EU). This means that CBD oil, capsules, gummies, and other CBD products could be pulled from the shelves and disappear from online stores.

The FSA is now working with UK local authorities to remove items from shelves that do not comply with the EU Novel Food Regulations. But the new food regulations won’t change the selling of CBD products for external use, such as face washes and creams.

CBD popularity has skyrocketed in the UK!

CBD has become extremely popular over the last couple of years. Newspapers and websites are publishing new articles almost daily proclaiming the miraculous health benefits of the new legal cannabis oil. Even some of the best-known department stores, supermarkets, and beauty shops are doing a brisk business selling products containing cannabidiol.

And everyone is talking about it! Social media platforms are on fire with users reporting dozens of health benefits, many of which are based on anecdotal reports of recoveries and the easing of symptoms.

Many disgruntled CBD lovers have been taking to the internet to voice their disapproval to the FSA.

But this isn’t the first time there has been a national panic about CBD.

In 2018 the MHRA classified cannabidiol as a medicine. The decision immediately led to panicking among CBD retailers who believed they would no longer be able to sell CBD products.

But sales continued and the popularity of CBD continued to grow at an exponential rate.

Everything just changed for CBD

Two days ago, the Food Standards Agency statement changed everything. The EU has decided that products containing CBD are “novel foods” and that’s that. The novel foods register lists foods that were not widely used prior to 1995 and is designed to provide guidance to Governments who wish to protect consumers from the dangers of new ingredients.

The FSA has announced it will be taking a firmer stance on CBD foods and supplements, working with local authorities to remove ingestible products from the market that have not undergone a pre-market safety assessment.

The decision means the EU and the UK consider that CBD extracted from hemp is not safe for human consumption.

And that the future is looking bleak for CBD!

Really? Hemp isn’t safe?

The decision has puzzled some commentators due to the fact that hemp has been used as foodstuff by humans for at least 10000 years without one recorded fatality.

It’s about as harmful as a potato.

Hemp is a plant that has been used for building, fabrics, oils, and food. It has been long revered for its rich repertoire of phytochemicals, it’s strong fibres and its agricultural features, namely quite good resistance to drought and pests, well-developed root systems preventing soil erosion, and lower water requirements with respect to other crops, e.g., cotton.

It may well be the safest and most useful plant on the planet.

What happens if CBD is banned?

If CBD does become illegal in the UK, it will cause massive frustration and upset for literally hundreds of thousands of people who use it as an integral part of their personal wellbeing strategy.

In the UK, over 250000 people per month now search online to purchase CBD oil, and that’s just one type of CBD product!

In addition, many new businesses have sprung up in the UK to cater to the needs of consumers who are eagerly snapping up new products and formulations.

Many entrepreneurs have invested large sums of money setting up hemp oil extraction businesses during the last few years, and thousands of people are employed in various aspects of production, packaging, shipping, and marketing.

So does the decision mean that CBD vape oil could become illegal too?

As CBD vape oil is not actually ingested by humans it would be a reasonable assumption that it may not be affected by the new classification of CBD. CBD vape oil is vaporized and inhaled, and not ingested, so theoretically, it should be safe from being banned. But there has not yet been any official clarification and many businesses are extremely worried.

There is bound to be hard push back against any negative decision and any subsequent legislation. Tens of thousands of people in the UK are using CBD regularly. How much push back and how hard remains to be seen. Hopefully, letters will be sent to MPs by CBD users whose lives have been changed for the better, and businesses involved in the CBD industry will contact the relevant government departments and demand that common sense should prevail.

People usually make good decisions for themselves, not always, but most times. And hundreds of thousands have decided to add a safe cannabinoid to their diet to maintain their own well-being.

Could the EU and the UK really go against large numbers of their citizens? As well as disregarding the World Health Organisation who recently classed CBD as having zero negative effects when used by Humans?

Let us wait and see.