EU CBD Ban Update

A month ago we reported the EU had declared CBD oil a novel food, effectively making CBD products illegal. We are pleased to say, we finally have some good news to report…

EU CBD Ban | Scare Tactics

In January the Daily Mail said the EU had ruled CBD novel foods and products would be pulled from sale. They said in the UK the Food Standards Agency would be working with local authorities to remove CBD products from the market.

“Britain’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has indicated it will ask local council trading standards officers to remove products from sale until this approval process is complete, which could take 12-18 months”

Daily Mail January 2019

They suggested that all CBD products would be pulled from shelves, pending this reclassification from the FSA.

EU CBD Ban | The Law

In the UK CBD products are currently sold under the heading of ‘food supplement’. They are 100% legal to buy, with many online and high street retailers stocking oils and other products.

The article understandably caused a lot of confusion and worry for the thousands of individuals who use it regularly.

As such the Cannabis Trades Association (CTA) UK has been working to clarify the matter for all CBD vendors.

The CTA was founded in 2017. It is a group of industry experts on CBD who work closely with the FSA, Trading Standards UK and the MHRA

The body works closely with CBD oil vendors and manufacturers in the UK. They provide a consistent framework in which CBD vendors can operate. To ensure best practice relating to all CBD products in the UK.

CBD Oil | Novel Food?

The CTA pressed for an in-depth conversation with the FSA about CBD oil and products.

The FSA acknowledged that they are not conversant with how CBD oil is manufactured. Apparently, novel food status for CBD products comes down purely to the extraction process.

CBD oils which are whole plant extract are and will remain legal to buy. The FSA confirmed what had already been discussed in 2016. Relating to CBD oils made from isolate. It is this method of extraction or manufacturing process which would mean need reclassifying as a novel food.

CanaXen CBD oils are a whole plant extract and always have been. This debate has raged on for a long time but we have always known which is best – whole plant extract!

Whole Plant Extract & CBD isolate

Whole plant extract CBD and isolate CBD are two completely different processes for manufacturing CBD oil.

Whole plant extract, includes every last crumb of the plant. These oils are like orange juice with bits in and contain terpenes, many cannabinoids, flavonoid, plant phenols and essential oils. The process uses the whole of the plant and scientists suggest it promotes the entourage effect.

CBD isolate is extracted to produce only CBD in its purest form. It does not include any of the other cannabinoids found in the plant. Isolate is refined to strip out any other plant matter to produce the final product, a white powder which is 99% CBD.

This is then mixed into a carrier oil and tends to be far less effective.

Read our guide on buying the right oil for your needs…

CBD Ban | Novel food?

So essentially nothing has changed with regards to sales of CBD products in the UK. Whole plant extracted CBVD products that do not contain above 0.2% THC remain legal to buy.

On 4th March 2019 representatives from the CTA met with FSA officers to discuss this proposed approval process and potential reclassification of CBD oil as a novel food.

“Our position remains unchanged. Our Members products remain legal, will not be removed

from sale, and, as the largest association of our kind in the world, any member receiving unlawful

requests from any Trading Standards or Food Standards officer suggesting their products are

not fully legal will be met with a direct legal response to the local authority as soon as our

member makes us aware”

– Official CTA Statement

Hot from the Press

CTA officials along with top London Law Firm Mackrell Turner Garret, met with the European Food Safety Authority on Tuesday 12th March. The specialist barristers, along with industry experts from the CTA presented their case to the EFSA.

They travelled to Brussels on 12th March. The law firm contested the EU’s novel food classification of CBD oil on the European stage.

“London law firm Mackrell Turner Garrett, together with a leading food and trading standards barrister, has been instructed by the Cannabis Trades Association UK (CTA) to challenge a controversial change to the classification of food products containing Cannabidiol (also known as CBD) recently introduced by European regulators”

Mackrell Turner Garrett official statement

The meeting was said to be a success. Although no official statement has been released by the EFSA or the FSA; the CTA commented that the outcome was largely positive. And to date, there is no suggestion that CBD products will be pulled from sale in the UK.

To continue buying the best CBD products in the UK and perhaps the world visit our shop – ‘CBD10’ at checkout for 10% discount!