UK Food Regulators Pushback On ‘CBD Is A Narcotic’ Categorization

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the most popular substances on earth right now. CBD’s level of popularity has grown exponentially in the last 5 years, and there’s no end to the spike in popularity in sight currently.

Part of the reason why CBD’s popularity has exploded in recent years is the increase in media coverage. That media coverage has touched on positive studies related to CBD’s medical value, as well as stories involving patients that have successfully treated their condition(s) with CBD.

As more and more patients try to find safe alternatives to pharmaceutical drugs many of them will presumably try CBD and a significant number that try CBD will likely find it to be beneficial and continue use.

Unfortunately the European Commission does not appear to be a big fan of CBD, at least not from a safety standpoint.

The European Commission recently categorized CBD as a narcotic. That categorization is being rejected by food regulators in the United Kingdom. Per Hemp Industry Daily:

Great Britain has rejected the European Commission’s preliminary stance that hemp flower-derived CBD should be regulated as a narcotic, a key food safety regulator in the United Kingdom says.

Paul Tossel, who leads the Novel Foods authorities at London’s Food Standards Agency, said Tuesday that although British authorities continue to mirror requirements set out by the EU’s Novel Food Regulation and the European Food Safety Authority, they did not agree with the Commission’s assessment.

Tossel said during a panel on the future of CBD in grocery retail that the European Commission’s preliminary CBD position isn’t shared by the U.K.’s Home Office, a government department that oversees drug policy and law enforcement.

There’s no valid reason to categorize CBD as a narcotic. CBD has been found to be safer than most household substances and is by all measures a relatively benign food ingredient from a health risk standpoint.

CBD is an amazing ingredient for food products because it provides wellness benefits without any risks and doesn’t seem to affect the taste of the food product. CBD is in many ways a ‘wonder food’ and should be classified accordingly.