European Commission Decides CBD Is Not A Drug Opening Up Novel Food Pathway

The European Commission has unexpectedly concluded that CBD should not be considered as a drug opening up the path to a regulated EU market for the cannabinoid as a novel food.

CBD Molecule
• Source: Shutterstock

Cannabidiol is not a drug because it is not psychoactive. This is the conclusion of the European Commission which has unexpectedly reverted to its original position that CBD should be considered a novel food.

In a decision which paves the way for a regulated CBD supplements market in Europe, the Commission has scrapped its “preliminary view” that CBD extracted from the flowering and fruiting tops of the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa L.) “should be considered as a narcotic.” The U-turn follows a ruling by Europe’s highest court that CBD, when extracted from the Cannabis sativa plant in its entirety, “cannot be regarded as a narcotic drug

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