The Association of the Cannabinoid Industry (ACI) trade group in the United Kingdom says the country’s Home Office is taking too long to implement a legal framework for CBD.
Even though CBD has been sold in U.K. stores for about a decade, according to online news outlet Cannabis Health News, the industry still doesn’t have basic regulations such as how much THC or CBD is permissible in products.
That lack of clarity means businesses are vulnerable and consumer trust is negatively impacted, according to the ACI’s #SaveOurCBD campaign, which launched on Aug. 28.
“We call on the Home Office to provide urgent clarity regarding the establishment of a legal framework within which businesses can operate securely, safely, and responsibly,” the campaign noted.
The Home Office, for example, still hasn’t taken action on a 2021 report by the government’s Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs.
The report contained recommendations for what legal amendments and new regulations were required for the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) to regulate CBD as a novel food.
The FSA regulates more than 12,000 CBD products for sale in England and Wales.
CBD businesses said that, without clarity on what is and isn’t allowed, they are at risk of unknowingly investing in innovation and growth that isn’t permissible.
According to Cannabis Health, the Home Office “wants to provide ‘greater clarity’ for the industry in relation to the defined permitted limits of controlled substances, such as THC, in CBD products.
“Businesses are also advised to seek legal advice regarding the activities they wish to undertake.”
