CBD is an exciting, but sometimes frustrating industry to try to navigate. CBD is a new product that can straddle the lines between supplement, medication, or food product, and therefore isn’t the easiest to decide how to regulate. CBD is derived from hemp, and has therefore had its reputation tainted by its close relation to cannabis, which has been stigmatized for decades.

Because of these factors, CBD has been subject to far more scrutiny and rule changes by lawmakers than many other products that make it onto the market. Of course, navigating a changing system can be difficult for customers and suppliers, and has even allowed plenty of substandard CBD into the market due to excess confusion. 

This article will walk you through the most up-to-date rules in Europe for buying and selling CBD as well as how to locate consistent, quality CBD products as a consumer.

European CBD Laws 2022

CBD has been classified as a “novel food” product in Europe. This is a classification that applies to food ingredients that were not known in Europe before 1997.

Hemp plants with less than 0.2% THC present are legal to grow and sell in Europe. (1% in Switzerland, 0.3% in Austria and Luxembourg. 0% THC in France- CBD isolates only)

CBD is illegal in Slovakia and Lithuania.

Choosing Quality CBD

Due to CBD’s new novel food classification, CBD products sold in Europe are now held to greater scrutiny and testing processes than they were before the law came into effect. This is great news for consumers, who were often sold extremely varying quality of CBD products prior to official regulation. 

The best place to buy CBD is online, where it is much easier to make your own comparison of various brands. 

Buyers should always consider the transparency of the company, for example disclosing their lab results or hemp source. 

Price is always an important factor, so don’t be fooled by CBD brands who are trying to sell a bog standard product for 6x the price with flashy marketing. Like a good restaurant, it can often be companies with simple marketing and only a few products that are doing those products to a very high standard.

The biggest markets in Europe for CBD products are Germany, the UK, Switzerland, and Austria. Companies selling in these markets will be more competitive and therefore more likely to be of a high standard, because people in those countries expect quality CBD products.

Summary

To sum up, hemp plants and CBD products are legal in Europe. They are called a novel food and are required to meet testing and tracking standards to be sold legally. The best countries to buy CBD from are Germany and the UK.

If you are interested in purchasing CBD products from Sarah Sativa, head over to our shop.