Is CBD Oil Legal in the UK/Europe? (2020 Update)

Published by Hempura at 02/07/2020

Contents hide

I) Is CBD Oil Legal in Europe?

II) Is CBD Novel Food?

III) Is CBD oil legal in the EU?

IV) Is CBD legal in the UK?

V) Can I buy CBD products on Amazon?

VI) Can I buy CBD products on eBay?

VII) Conclusion

VIII) References

Is CBD Oil Legal in Europe?

In the European Union, it is legal to cultivate and supply Industrial Hemp (Cannabis Sativa) plants for hemp fibre if they have a Tetrahydrocannabinol (or ‘THC’ – the psychoactive compound in marijuana) content not exceeding 0.2 % (EU Regulation 1307/2013).[1] But this does not mean CBD oil can contain this level of THC. Instead, all CBD products across the UK and Europe must have undetectable levels of THC in them, otherwise, they will be classed as a controlled substance.

In some countries in Europe (including the UK), hemp flowers and leaves are not permitted to be harvested and processed, with hemp only allowed to be grown in the country for the creation of non-controlled hemp products that are made from the seeds and fibre. In the UK, farmers have to apply for a license from the Home Office that allows them to farm Industrial Hemp[2] (also known as low-THC Cannabis). Even if a license has been granted by the Home Office (if the growers meet the strict criteria required and also pay the license application/renewal fees), growers are only permitted to harvest part of the plant – the stems and seeds – as these have a much lower concentration of Cannabidiol (CBD) and practically no THC.

For this reason, many businesses who manufacture CBD oil in the UK (and do so using whole-plant extract, including the flowers and leaves), work with carefully selected, regulated and compliant EU farms from countries that are able to harvest and process the full plants of EU registered strains of Cannabis Sativa L. Industrial Hemp. In addition to being highly regulated by the EU, the farms we work with here at Hempura also produce organically grown hemp which is herbicide, pesticide, fungicide & GMO-free, with no harmful contaminants.

The absence of THC (less than 0.01%) is the most important factor when determining whether a CBD product is legal or not; CBD hemp oil and other products must contain a THC level of 0.01% or less to be considered legal in the UK. Any detectable level of THC becomes a controlled substance under UK law. Hempura UK CBD oil and other products all have less than 0.01% THC and Cannabinol (or CBN, a mildly psychoactive cannabinoid found in Cannabis Sativa), making it virtually undetectable and ensuring that our products are safe and legal for sale in the UK and in many other European countries.

Unlike the majority of the EU, Slovakia is one of the few places where, even with the EU’s strict THC content legislation, CBD products are considered illegal as their legislation currently considers Cannabidiol as a ‘psychotropic substance’. However, a bill calling for an amendment to this legislation has been put forward for approval to the Slovakian government[3].

Is CBD Novel Food?

In January 2019, CBD extracts were confirmed as a ‘novel food’ in the EU[4] – that is, a food which had not been consumed to a significant degree by humans in the EU before 15 May 1997, when the first Regulation on novel food came into force.[5] Hemp seed and hemp seed oil, on the other hand, are not novel foods as evidence exists of their use as early as 1220AD – well before May 1997, ruling out its ‘novel food’ status.[6]

The underlying principles underpinning Novel Food in the European Union are that Novel Foods must be:

Safe for consumers
Properly labelled (so as not to mislead consumers)
If novel food is intended to replace another food, it must not differ in a way that the consumption of the Novel Food would be nutritionally disadvantageous for the consumer.[7]

In order to remain legal for sale in the UK and EU in the coming years, any business that manufactures and sells CBD products will need to submit and have fully validated, novel food authorisation applications by 31 March 2021. After this date, only products for which the Food Standards Agency (the FSA) has a valid application will be allowed to remain on the market.

The FSA advise, on their website, that ‘we have advised local authorities that businesses can continue to sell their existing CBD products during this time, provided they are not incorrectly labelled, are not unsafe and do not contain substances that fall under drugs legislation. However, no new CBD extracts or isolates should be sold until they have the necessary authorisation.’[8]

Is CBD oil legal in the EU?

Here at Hempura we pay close attention to legislation surrounding CBD products and ensure that we ship our products responsibly to countries where products can be legally purchased and used.

We have put together a map to highlight the European countries that we currently post to. Please note that this was last updated in July 2020 and may be subject to change – please visit our dedicated shipping policy page for the latest information.

Is CBD legal in Austria? Ist CBD in Österreich legal?

Hempura closely monitors EU and country-specific legislation around the sale of CBD products. We currently ship our range of high-quality CBD products to Austria – please view our shipping policy page for more information.

Is CBD Legal in Belgium? Is CBD legaal in België

Hempura currently ships it’s CBD products to Belgium – view our shipping policy page for more information. Please note that we closely monitor EU and country-specific legislation around the sale of CBD products, and update the list of countries that we ship to if and when changes occur.

Is CBD legal in Bulgaria? Законно ли е CBD в България / Zakonno li e CBD v Bŭlgariya?

We currently ship our CBD products to Bulgaria as per current country-specific and EU guidance around the sale of CBD products – view our shipping policy page for more information.

Is CBD legal in Croatia? Je li CBD legalno u Hrvatskoj?

Hempura closely monitors EU (and country-specific) legislation concerning the sale of CBD products, and update the list of countries we ship to if changes do occur. We currently ship our CBD products to Croatia – view our shipping policy page for more information.

Is CBD legal in Cyprus? Είναι νόμιμη η CBD στην Κύπρο / Eínai nómimi i CBD stin Kýpro?

The full range of Hempura CBD products can be shipped to Cyprus, in accordance with local and EU legislation surrounding the sale of CBD. Please view our shipping policy page for more information.

Is CBD legal in the Czech Republic? Je CBD legální v Česku?

Hempura does ship products to the Czech Republic, as per EU and Czech Republic specific legislation surrounding the sale of Cannabidiol based products. If you would like more information about the range of countries we currently distribute our products to, please visit our shipping policy page.

Is CBD legal in France? Le CBD est-il légal en France?

Here at Hempura, we closely monitor country-specific and EU-wide legislation surrounding the sale and distribution of CBD products from Industrial Hemp. As our products currently meet the strict EU criteria on CBD products, we can deliver our range of CBD products to France. Please view our shipping policy page for more information.

Is CBD legal in Greece? Είναι νόμιμη η CBD στην Ελλάδα / Eínai nómimi i CBD stin Elláda?

We currently ship our CBD products to Greece, in line with EU and Greek legislation surrounding CBD products. If you would like more information about the range of countries we currently distribute our products to, please visit our shipping policy page.

Is CBD legal in Hungary? A CBD legális-e Magyarországon?

Hempura closely monitors EU and country-specific legislation around the sale of CBD products. We currently ship our range of high-quality CBD products to Hungary – please view our shipping policy page for more information.

Is CBD legal in Ireland?

Hempura currently ships it’s CBD products to Ireland – view our shipping policy page for more information. Please note that we closely monitor EU and country-specific legislation around the sale of CBD products, and update the list of countries that we ship to if and when changes occur.

Is CBD legal in Italy? Il CBD è legale in Italia?

We currently ship our CBD products to Italy as per current country-specific and EU guidance around the sale of CBD products – view our shipping policy page for more information.

Is CBD legal in Latvia? Vai CBD ir likumīgs Latvijā?

Hempura closely monitors EU (and country-specific) legislation concerning the sale of CBD products, and update the list of countries we ship to if changes do occur. We currently ship our CBD products to Latvia – view our shipping policy page for more information.

Is CBD legal in Lithuania? Ar CBD yra teisėtas Lietuvoje?

The full range of Hempura CBD products can be shipped to Lithuania, in accordance with local and EU legislation surrounding the sale of CBD. Please view our shipping policy page for more information.

Is CBD legal in Luxembourg? Le CBD est-il légal au Luxembourg?

Hempura does ship products to Luxembourg, as per EU and country-specific legislation surrounding the sale of Cannabidiol based products. If you would like more information about the range of countries we currently distribute our products to, please visit our shipping policy page.

Is CBD legal in the Netherlands? Is CBD legaal in Nederland?

Here at Hempura, we closely monitor country-specific and EU-wide legislation surrounding the sale and distribution of CBD products from Industrial Hemp. As our products currently meet the strict EU criteria on CBD products, we can deliver our range of CBD products to the Netherlands. Please view our shipping policy page for more information.

Is CBD legal in Poland? Czy CBD jest legalne w Polsce?

We currently ship our CBD products to Poland, in line with EU and Polish legislation surrounding CBD products. If you would like more information about the range of countries we currently distribute our products to, please visit our shipping policy page.

Is CBD legal in Portugal? A CBD é legal em Portugal?

Hempura closely monitors EU and country-specific legislation around the sale of CBD products. We currently ship our range of high-quality CBD products to Portugal – please view our shipping policy page for more information.

Is CBD legal in Romania? Este CBD legală în România?

Hempura currently ships it’s CBD products to Romania – view our shipping policy page for more information. Please note that we closely monitor EU and country-specific legislation around the sale of CBD products, and update the list of countries that we ship to if and when changes occur.

Is CBD legal in Slovenia? Ali je CBD v Sloveniji zakonit?

We currently ship our CBD products to Slovenia as per current country-specific and EU guidance around the sale of CBD products – view our shipping policy page for more information.

Is CBD legal in Spain? ¿Es legal el CBD en España?

Hempura closely monitors EU (and country-specific) legislation concerning the sale of CBD products, and update the list of countries we ship to if changes do occur. We currently ship our CBD products to Spain – view our shipping policy page for more information.

Is CBD legal in Sweden? Är CBD lagligt i Sverige?

The full range of Hempura CBD products can be shipped to Sweden, in accordance with local and EU legislation surrounding the sale of CBD. Please view our shipping policy page for more information.

Is CBD legal in the UK?

CBD products that meet strict UK guidelines and are sold by reputable retailers are fully legal – hence their increasing popularity in the UK and their appearance on shelves in the high street! CBD hemp oil and other products must contain a THC level of 0.2% or less to be considered legal in the UK. Any level of THC above 0.2% becomes a controlled substance under UK law, and as Hempura’s full range of CBD products contain less than 0.01% THC (you can review all of our lab reports for Hempura Products here to see the THC levels recorded in our laboratory testing), they fall well within the ‘legal’ guidelines.

Is CBD legal in Iceland? Er CBD löglegt á Íslandi?

Hempura currently ships it’s CBD products to Iceland – view our shipping policy page for more information. Please note that we closely monitor EEA/EU and country-specific legislation around the sale of CBD products, and update the list of countries that we ship to if and when changes occur.

Can I buy CBD products on Amazon?

It’s important to know that Amazon prohibits the sale of cannabidiol (CBD) in any product on its platform. Any CBD products that you find on the site are technically going against these rules and terms of use, and the company has advised that its systems blocked more than 3 billion suspected bad listings last year alone.[9]

It’s important to ensure that you are purchasing legitimate and trusted CBD products from a responsible retailer. Here at Hempura, all of the Industrial Hemp used during manufacture is sourced from carefully selected regulated and compliant EU farms. It is always organically grown and is herbicide, pesticide, fungicide & GMO-free, with no harmful contaminants. Each harvest is tested before purchase, during extraction and during the manufacturing process of our individual products, helping to ensure consistency, quality and safety. If you would like to find out more about our ethos and manufacturing process, you can here.

Can I buy CBD products on eBay?

As with Amazon, eBay prohibits the sale of CBD products on its platform, so any items that you do find on the site are technically going against the organisation’s terms of service. Though it is challenging to locate the exact regulations that prohibit the sale of CBD items, their viewpoint is clearly demonstrated in a tweet made by the official eBay Twitter account on the 24^th May 2019 which stated “The sale of CBD products is highly regulated in many countries. While they may be legal to buy and sell in some countries, they are regulated by the FDA and enforced by some law enforcement agencies. For this reason, we have decided to prohibit the items globally.”

Conclusion

At Hempura, we are responsible manufacturers and retailers of CBD products and therefore are constantly reviewing the latest EU/EEA and country-specific legislation surrounding CBD for all of the countries that we ship to. We are also working towards EU Novel Foods authorisation and will keep you updated on this process over the coming year.

Quality and customer safety are at the very heart of everything we do, so if you are purchasing a product from Hempura you can rest assured that you are getting a high quality, trusted product.

If you would like to view the range of Hempura products available, why not take a look at our online store?