The question of the legalisation of marijuana has been hanging for many years now. After years of campaigning by cannabis advocates, in 2018, they won a victory of sorts in the UK when CBD oil was legalised to be used with prescriptions from specialist medical practitioners. And ever since then, the legal status of Cannabis use and the attitude of the UK government is gradually shifting to a lenient side.

According to the data from the Office for National Statistics, about 2.6 million people in the UK were using cannabis in some form during the Pandemic lockdown. These stats evidently depict the growing popularity of the herbs and changing perception of cannabis in the UK.

With the start of the new year in 2022, new rules and regulations were introduced to legalise CBD products. The legalisation was a significant milestone in cannabis history and a surprise for the UK population. When CBD products became open for public consumption, it was a clear-cut win for public health and safety. Before diving into the change in UK laws, we must know what the cannabis law is all about.

What is CBD law in UK?

cbd law

Following the changing public perception, the government rescheduled marijuana from schedule 1 to schedule 2 as per the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.The reschedule meant that now the UK government has become tolerant of producing and selling CBD and other related cannabinoids.

In this article, we will understand the terms of leniency around CBD and other cannabis-related products in the UK in 2022.

Is CBD Oil Legal in the UK? 

cbd oil

First and Foremost, is CBD Oil Legal in the UK? In the 2018 amendment, certain cannabinoids like CBD and CBDa were legalised for sales and production. But the law still kept the psychotropic chemical THC under controlled substances making it illegal for public consumption. But the legalisation of CBD Oil has some sub-clause that should be understood for diving deeper into this legalisation issue:

  • CBD oil must be EU approved and sourced from Hemp grown outside of the UK.
  • CBD oil cannot contain more than 1mg of THC per product or bottle

Following the new legalisation of CBD products, Hemp grown outside of the UK is used because of its high concentration of CBD and very low amount of THC. Since the law mandates that no cannabis product can have more than 1mg of THC per product, the CBD production is limited to hemp plants and not the THC-rich Marijuana (Cannabis Sativa).

There are also several additional regulations regarding the sourcing and the limiting of THC in CBD products. This regulation includes: 

  • CBD products can only be sold as food supplements and not as medicine.
  • The companies must submit a Novel Foods Application to the Food Standards Agency for selling CBD products.
  • No medical claims about the effects of CBD use.
  • UK residents cannot grow CBD-rich Hemp for personal use
  • CBD flowers or buds are not legal for sale

Is Medical Cannabis and CBD different?

medical cannabis

Both the CBD products and medicinal cannabis are extracted from the same species, but the Authority permits only medical practitioners to prescribe medical cannabis for a handful of conditions. On the other hand, if the CBD hemp oil product manufacturers have submitted the paperwork to the authorities and the products meet this UK CBD law's guidelines, they can be bought by anyone in the UK.

Where can you buy your CBD oil legally?

cbd oil buy

With a full understanding of all the laws about CBD oil and the next question is, where can you get your CBD products? 

The best place to get authentic and legal CBD products is from online head shops such as ours. We have strict quality control and rigorous law-abiding policies for selling and purchasing CBD products. And above all, we want our customers to have the satisfaction and complete benefits of using these products.

In Conclusion, the Law around CBD usage is slightly lengthy, making the product's manufacturing and selling a bit tacky. Still, the law in the UK about CBD use is clearly faring forward in a positive direction. Online headshops and big retail chains have been operating in complete sync with the UK legislation to meet the growing demand of the UK population.