Food regulatory authorities in the UK have rejected a preliminary stance by the European commission that could see hemp derived CBD classified as a narcotic. This is according to Paul Tossel, a member of one of Great Britain’s food safety regulators.
Paul is the head at the Novel Food Authorities based at the Food Standards Agency in London. On Tuesday Paul is quoted saying that despite the UK authorities considering the European commission’s requirements for novel food regulations, they were not in agreement with the EU ‘s CBD assessment.
In February this year, the UK directed all CBD sellers to confirm their applications for novel foods to maintain their products in the market. The deadline for the validation was March 31st, 2021.
Tossel reiterates that the UK still regards cannabidiol extracts as novel foods. Applying for a novel foods license is a confirmation that there exists no narcotics in the CBD products.
According to the European commission, CBD extracted from flowering hemp plants should be treated as narcotics. The EU argument is based on a United Nations treaty. The stance by the commission could lead to banning of CBD foods and supplements in the European common market. A total of 450 million CBD consumers could be affected.
Noticeably, the UK is no longer a part of the EU after the BREXIT decision that came into being on the first day of February this year. Currently, the UK is negotiating with the EU on different rules and regulations that will govern trade, immigration, and security relations. The fate of CBD is yet to be conclusively decided.
On the EU side, the commission stopped processing CBD applications for novel foods. It directed all applicants to send feedback on its stance through this month.
