The stark reality. What the new UK CBD regulations actually mean to the UK CBD Industry and to you our customers.
By the 31st March 2021 (this year) the UK CBD industry and its consumers will witness a huge change in the products which can be legally bought and sold.
CBD is now considered a Novel Food in both the UK and the EU.
Simply put, any CBD products, which, contain even a trace of THC (6aR,10aR)-delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol; (−)-trans-Δ⁹-Tetrahydrocannabinol, are not permitted for production or sale unless fully licensed to UK pharmaceutical standards. THC is a fully controlled substance under UK law and can only be produced, sold and distributed in the UK with full licensing in place.
However, I would like to expound the myth that THC has ever been legal in the UK in CBD products, because that is not the case. THC in any preparation has always been a controlled substance. The misquoted allowed THC percentage applied only to Hemp Plants whilst being grown, not extracts of Hemp. This has caused much confusion with both vendors and buyers of CBD over the last decade, and the Home Office and Food Standards Agency will be enforcing this licensing requirement and in some cases this is already happening.
All products sold from 31st March 2021 are required to be compliant with, and be licensed under Novel Food Regulations.
Another CBD Company can currently continue to sell our range of products until the end of March, but after this our website will look very different, with a smaller range of Novel Foods compliant products available.
See Further Information below about The Misuse of Drugs (Amendments) (Cannabis and Licence Fees) (England, Wales and Scotland) Regulations 2018
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/1055/made
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/1055/pdfs/uksiem_20181055_en.pdf
Many medical market prepared cannabis products are currently being prescribed off licence in UK Cannabis Clinics. Despite there being copious amounts of anecdotal evidence about the therapeutic benefits of cannabinoids, terpenes and so on, by comparison, the current problem is there is little hard scientific research, which means a long wait for many products to be studied and licensed for medical prescription.
Israel is one of the world leaders in Cannabis research, where they have been studying cannabis for the last 60 Years. Not forgetting the UKs (was) very own GW Pharmaceuticals (recently sold for over 7 million to Jazz Pharmaceuticals of Eire). GW Pharmaceuticals have been studying and developing cannabis therapeutics (under government license) since the 1990s. With TM SATIVEX And TM Epidiolex among two licensed products available, sadly neither are cost effective nor particularly efficacious .
In the UK a two tier system exists for Cannabis, as defined by two different schedules and regulations. One for medically prescribed cannabis and one for cannabis products obtained or produced by any other method. Medically prescribed cannabis is permitted, anything else is not permitted, unless it is a totally THC free CBD product, which has been licensed to comply with, either EU or UK Novel Food Standards. Please see links above for further information.
Medical Cannabis is available in both flower and oil form on prescription through an increasing network of private cannabis clinics in the UK.
We believe that these latest regulations will drive the current CBD (with traces of THC) market on to the dark web and the streets, along with the rest of the unregulated UK cannabis market. We are determined to help find a better way than the status quo.
Whilst regulation is welcome, due to many CBD sellers preferring profit to responsibility, it still seems draconian to ban the availability to many who have come to be reliant on products which have changed their lives, especially given a long wait for fully licensed products containing THC.
The UK government has also announced that CBD producers who obtain both THC free CBD isolate or distillate in bulk will now have to obtain controlled drug import and movement licences, which are all additional costs to consider.
THE BOTTOM LINE
What this means to our customers is once our stock made from whole plant extract runs out, which includes ALL Red Label Sativa, and Purple Label Indica will no longer be available through our website.
Another CBD Company (Cheds CBD Oils) will only be selling products made from CBD Isolate or CBD distillate, or patches or topical products through our website which are licensed. If this will affect you, please get in touch and we can suggest alternatives with our new range of UK permitted products. You can call 020 3290 2022 Monday to Friday until 12 noon or +44 1842 769202 from 12 noon til 6pm or on Saturday mornings.
BUY CLEARANCE SALE PRODUCTS BY CLICKING HERE
We are still waiting to hear about the full EU ruling on CBD to see how we can best support our customers in the EU.
Please note that we are currently shipping EU orders from Spain to avoid the duty issues following BREXIT. We will shortly update our website to take into consideration the new import and export duty regulations.
What you can do!!
We believe that there should exist a choice like there is the choice to grow your own fruit and vegetables and produce your own foodstuffs. Cannabis is after all a beneficial herb, and when applied with knowledgeable advice from the vendor and sound education to the consumer, harms are reduced. The MHRA also expressly forbids that any medical claims are made for the products, nor any guidance or suggestions are given on effective use of our products. We are being regulated into a corner when we have been self-regulating for the last 7 years. There are plenty of UK activist groups with you you can become involved to campaign for affordable choices and options based on human rights.
We will be in touch frequently over the next month to keep you updated.
