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UK Cannabis Regulatory News & Updates

UK Government Refuses To Delay CBD Deadline For Coronavirus

The United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has denied a request from industry to delay the implementation of new regulations on cannabidiol (CBD).

The European Union and the UK have both declared that CBD is considered a novel food in 2019, meaning that it doesn’t have a history of hum an consumption in the diet. This designation requires that manufacturers secure special novel foods authorizations to sell CBD for human consumption. Further with the UK leaving the EU with Brexit achieving an EU novel foods approval does not guarantee approval in the UK as well.

In February the FSA announced that the UK had finally set limits for CBD content in foods and beverages along with guidance for at risk populations and production guidelines. The new rules set a total daily limit from all exposures of 70 mg of CBD, but also set a March 31, 2021 deadline for submitting a novel foods authorization. Any products that have not submitted for approval by that date will be pulled off the market in the UK.

However, the coronavirus has since swept across the globe disrupting business, travel and almost everything else. In response to the coronavirus the Cannabis Trades Association, a UK cannabis industry lobby, submitted a request to postpone the deadline for application submission.

The FSA recently responded to the CTA request:

“The FSA has not received any evidence in support of the suggestion that recent events with COVID-19 has rendered CBD businesses incapable of formulating novel food applications to the appropriate standard to meet next year’s deadline. This view is additionally in the context of the background to CBD extracts and the fact that CBD businesses have already had well over a year and have just under a further year to progress novel food applications; a total of over two years. Furthermore, discussions with yourselves and others in the industry have been ongoing for significantly longer. We consider that this is more than enough time to have planned and started the necessary studies. In fact, several CBD businesses have and are building the applications aiming towards the validated application process deadline date, with some having already submitted initial applications.

As such I can confirm there is no change in approach and the deadline as previously set out by the FSA remains.”
A statement from the CTA in response to the denial focused on the shock the industry has been under since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

“Many of our members have had to furlough staff and in lockdown, business activities will clearly reduce. Staff in the laboratories and other ancillary industries will also be in lockdown and therefore capacity will be substantially reduced. We find the FSA’s position on this to be quite baffling, unsympathetic and unaligned with all government departments at this moment of national and international crisis.”

It looks like the cannabis and CBD industry in the UK is under more pressure to try and meet the FSA deadlines, while simultaneously defending their staff from coronavirus. True Terpenes hopes the industry will be able to secure approvals and get products out to customers in need. True Terpenes strain profiles are formulated from botanical terpenes to replicate the taste, aroma and effect of cannabis, while avoiding the legal difficulties. Our products are legal and we ship to the UK.

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