Industry groups call on Home Office to allow 0.03% THC in CBD products
The Home Office should consider allowing finished CBD products to contain 0.03% THC, according to a new report from two leading industry bodies.
The joint report from the Centre for Medicinal Cannabis (CMC) and Association for the Cannabinoid Industry (ACI) recommends introducing a THC cap to clear up market confusion and make CBD regulations easier to enforce.
There is a common misconception that CBD products can contain up to 0.2% THC.
However, this figure applies to industrial hemp from which CBD is extracted and not the finished product.
The report has been sent to the Home Office and Food Standards Agency (FSA).
As it stands, the Home Office considers all CBD products to be controlled, regardless of their THC content.
The CMC and ACI believes that this ‘presumption is incompatible with scientific convention and is likely to be incompatible with case law.’
ACI and CMC Regulatory and Compliance Associate, Dr Parveen Bhatarah, said:
“We fully understand that tackling drug misuse, and the harm it causes, is a top priority for the UK Government.
“CBD is not a controlled drug but any plant-derived CBD has potential to contain controlled cannabinoids. However, the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 for CBD products demands that it contains no more than a defined trace percentage of controlled cannabinoids as an impurity.
“This paper has taken into account the analytical challenges, testing methodology challenges and existing scientific evidence base data to propose the safe limit for controlled cannabinoids.”
The paper also makes six proposals for further research, including:
– Further animal toxicology studies on the effects of purified CBD, THC and other cannabinoids
– Randomised, placebo-controlled trials on the effects of these cannabinoids combined in humans
– Surveillance studies to monitor safety and tolerability.
ACI toxicology associate, Dr Paul Duffy, said:
“In modern society, evidence based decisions, underpinned by sound robust scientific data should be at the heart of safety for the consumer and we consider that the ACI/CMC report adheres to that.
“In my opinion, the proposed levels of THC are reasonable and manageable from a safety and legal perspective.”
