New Limits on THC Content in CBD Products Sold in the UK
As part of a separation from EU rules, the European government recently announced that there are some new regulations being put into place regarding the CBD market. There is a concern that many CBD products contain trace amounts of THC. This new legislation will require monitoring of THC levels in order to prevent high levels from making it to store shelves. The maximum accepted amount would be 50 micrograms (50 mcg – or 0.05 mg).
Companies that manufacture CBD products are concerned with the limit. They feel it is far too low, and that this will affect their ability to compete with other brands and churn out products. We’ve seen a large increase in the CBD market within the UK in the past ten years or so. Tinctures, edibles, gummies, topical creams and much more are being sold online and in a variety of health shops. Up until this point, there hasn’t been much government regulation in place.
Much of this recent concern has come from The Food Standards Agency in the UK. They recently expressed their concern about the lack of edible CBD product regulation. None of the edibles being sold right now have been authorized. Multiple government agencies will work together to better manage this growing industry moving forward. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has recently been asked to make its recommendations for these regulations. It was their findings that determined the need for a limit on THC content.
The idea of mandating a certain CBD isolation process for manufacturing purposes is also being thrown around. Government agencies have acknowledged that it can be challenging to isolate CBD from cannabis without leaving behind some degree of THC. The Cannabis Industry Council has concerns regarding these regulations. The limit of 50 micrograms has the potential to compete fairly with the Chinese CBD market. This could result in fewer UK-based companies producing CBD. Research has shown that 97 percent of people that consume CBD regularly have never experienced any kind of negative side effects from the products they’ve used that don’t have a THC content limit.
Many CBD users prefer full spectrum products, which contain 0.3% THC. These limits will impact the CBD market substantially and prevent the production of a wide variety of products.
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