CBD in the United Kingdom
The UK is one of our tier-1 countries and the biggest market in Europe, making is a very important country to watch. This page includes all of our detailed full-length UK market and regulatory reports, as well as both business and regulatory briefings covering current updates from the country.
Business briefing
Regulatory briefing
More Regulatory briefingMarket reports
Online retailer report: the UK market
4th May 2021
Regulatory reports
Medical and recreational cannabis – a global overview
10th May 2021
UK market continues to expand while is CBD not a scheduled substance
As one of the biggest CBD markets, the UK is an important one and continues to grow in all product categories and across all distribution channels. CBD is not a scheduled product under UK law and its legal status as a finished product is dependent on its intended use.
In 2016, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued a statement saying any CBD-products used as a medicine or advertised as such are to be considered a medicine and therefore require medicinal licensing. CBD products cannot make any medical claims if they are to avoid the need for medical compliance.
It remains to be seen how Brexit will change things for CBD, with the UK Home Office having stated it has no plans to ease restrictions on using flowers for extraction. Some clarity has at least been brought to the novel food application process however, the deadline of which was 31st March 2021. A list of products linked to validated applications will be published on the Food Standard Authority (FSA)’s website and regularly updated.
