Useful Guide to Cannabidiol CBD oil in the UK (2022)

A UK guide is prepared to help you buy Cannabidiol CBD oil with confidence. Online information can be contradictory, unclear and often factually incorrect. Experts, industry organizations and extensive research have been consulted to clarify UK law, give guidance on choosing a quality product that has the desired benefits, explain side effects and better understand the options available. The prepared guide focuses on the UK as even in Europe, legislation differs greatly from country to country. In the UK, you can legally purchase CBD products as dietary supplements to support and promote complete wellness. Learn how to choose and use different types of CBD products, from CBD drops to e-liquids.

For a CBD product to be sold in the UK, it must not be promoted as a drug or with medicinal benefits. In October 2016, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said: “We came to the opinion that cannabidiol (CBD) products used for medical purposes are a medicine. Medicinal products must have a product license (marketing authorization) before they can be legally sold, supplied or advertised in the UK, unless they are exempt. Licensed medicinal products must meet safety, quality and efficacy standards in order to protect public health. ‘ CBD products that you can buy online and in stores are covered under the “unless exempt” section of this statement. Exempt products are sold as dietary supplements and not for medical use. To be considered exempt, the Drug Abuse Law of 2001 (MDR 2001) sets out certain criteria a CBD product must meet in order to be sold.

These can be found on a government information sheet and state: “Released product” means a formulation or other product that is made up of one or more component parts, each containing a controlled drug, where: the formulation or other product is not intended to administer a controlled drug to a human or an animal. The controlled drug in any of its component parts is packaged in such a form or in combination with other active or inert substances in such a way that it cannot be recovered by readily applicable means or with an efficiency that is hazardous to health; and no ingredient in the product or formulation contains more than one milligram of controlled drug ”. In section c), one milligram of controlled drug is for THC, CBDV (cannabidivarin), and CBN (cannabinol).

This is crucial as it says that if an end product contains more than 1 mg of THC, CBDV or CBN, selling in the UK is technically illegal. This does not mean that you can buy any cannabis product as long as it is not sold as a drug and contains less than 1 mg of the three controlled substances. A product is also illegal if the controlled substance can be recovered from the product or it is not a “preparation”, as is the case with the hemp flower. THC, CBN and CBDV can be recovered from cannabis flowers in amounts that MDR 2001 may consider “hazardous to health”. Selling cannabis oil (a product that contains detectable levels of THC) is still illegal in the UK. However, it is now available as a prescription drug. This was announced by the UK government in November 2018. It only happened after many campaigns by families with young children suffering from rare drug-resistant forms of epilepsy such as Lennox-Gastuat and Dravet’s syndrome.

Before November 2018, it was also possible (but unlikely) to get a prescription for Sativex to relieve symptoms of MS. Sativex is a cannabis spray that contains both THC and CBD. However, it is rarely offered to people with MS because NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) decided that the high cost did not make this product viable.Let’s summarize: CBD has been found to be a drug, but must not be sold as a drug.

Anyone understand something? However, CBD is for sale and you must have a basic understanding of what you are buying.

How to find the best extracts this Useful Guide to Cannabidiol CBD Oil in the UK can help you?

If you are looking for the best quality CBD oil, there are 6 key criteria to consider:

1. Percentage of CBD oil.

The percentages can be confusing as the strength of the product also depends on the total CBD content in mg.
Everyone is different and there is no standard amount of CBD that works the same for everyone. Knowing the exact amount in milligrams per milliliter (for example, 500 mg in 10 ml) ensures that you can measure and monitor how much you are taking to be able to determine what is right for you.

Good 5% CDB oil contains 10 ml – 720 mg CBD,

15% contains 10 ml – 1800 mg CBD,

30% contains 10 ml – 3600 mg CDB.

So 1 drop of 5% contains 3.1 mg of CBD 

1 drop of 15% contains 7.8 mg of CBD.

 It should be assumed that 1 ml = 1.2 g = 23 drops.

2. Extraction Cannabidiol CBD oil.

The traditional method is extraction with pure food alcohol. This method is used by Rick Sompson – RSO marijuana oil. This method extracts all the medicinal ingredients from the plant and preserves the full spectrum of cannabinoids. It leaves behind the less useful and potentially harmful ones. In addition, alcohol cleanses and kills fungi, molds, viruses, bacteria and other pathogens. Supercritical liquid CO2 extraction is considered the standard for cannabidiol extraction as it extracts all the compounds from the cannabis plant. Previously, this method was used to extract hops. It is cheap, safe, but may contain contaminants. Hemp contains over 100 cannabinoids (including CBDA, THC, THCA, CBG, CBC, CBN etc.) and over 300 kinds of chemical compounds (terpenes, phenols, flavonoids, phytosterols, waxes, chlorophyll etc.). When extracting CBD with these compounds, you can benefit from the surrounding effect, synergy, i.e. mutual therapeutic interaction of all compounds contained in cannabis. Alcohol extraction contains the full spectrum of cannabinoids. After CO2 extraction, the resulting paste must be additionally cleaned. Other extraction methods are unacceptable and can be very harmful. Profit-oriented producers use substances such as butane, isopropyl, hexane, etc. to extract, which do not maintain the integrity of the plant’s active compounds and may leave hazardous chemical residues. You should also be aware that most CBD products on the market are isolates that have little healing effect. Pure 98% CDB crystal is mainly purchased from China, and diluted with cooking oil appropriately.

3. Safe THC content.

The product analysis certificate confirms that the THC content is within the legal range. This is very important as it ensures that you are buying a legitimate product that complies with UK law. Unfortunately, CBD alone without THC at least 1% does not heal severe diseases. Only isolates are THC free. There are so many different compounds in alcohol or CO2 extraction that it is virtually impossible to isolate and get rid of the THC compound.

4. Certified, eco-friendly and toxin-free.

Is the product organic or is it actually certified organic? How pure is CBD oil? Cannabis Sativa L. is claimed to be a bioaccumulator, so to avoid consuming a harmful cocktail of chemicals that may contain such as fertilizers, pesticides, and heavy metals, make sure it has been laboratory tested before purchasing. It is also argued that it is important to find a trustworthy producer to plant organic seeds and harvest, extract and bottle the extract according to a certified organic process. Merely claiming to be organic can be very different from being a properly documented, certified organic producer. People look for brands that can prove their Eco Declarations (e.g. through an eco certificate). This includes demonstrating the absence of any pesticides and heavy metals. In fact, hemp is the least genetically modified plant, and variety diversity is obtained by crossing different plants. Hemp requires no fertilization and grows even in poor soils. It is a fast growing plant and you don’t need to spray the field against weeds. In addition, hemp is not fed by pests and there is no need to use pesticides etc. It is scientifically proven that possible heavy metals and other toxins accumulate only in the plant stems and are neutralized there. Therefore, there is even a plan by farmers from the Fukushima area to plant cannabis in their fields and thus clean the soil of radioactive compounds created after the nuclear power plant disaster. So getting cannabis certified is unnecessary. The only risk is the use of pesticides and other chemical sprays on adjacent fields. Even organic farming can get such compounds with the wind.

5. Not only cannbidiol – full spectrum CBD.

Ideally, you should consume CBD oil, which also provides many of the beneficial active ingredients found in the whole Cannabis Sativa L. plant. Cannabinoids such as CBDa (cannabidiolic acid), CBN (cannabinol), CBG (cannabigerol), CBGa (cannabigerolic acid), lipids vegetable, waxes, chlorophyll, flavonoids, terpenes, and other phytonutrients are beneficial to health. The synergy or combined effect they create when working together has a healing effect. Each strain, variety and cultivation contains a different profile of these biomolecules. Full spectrum is most favorable.

6. Tried and tested by friends.

Don’t be fooled by empty marketing claims like CBD drops made from crystal isolates.CBD isolates or crystal isolates are a concentrated form of CBD that is produced in a laboratory, with no other cannabinoids. Only natural, pure plant extract has a healing effect. Nature should not be corrected and the composition of the plant should not be interfered with. Is the THC-free extract still full spectrum? Most companies are knowingly or unknowingly scamming their CBD oil to help with various diseases. Unfortunately, they do it this way: they buy pure, synthetic CBD crystal (the isolated 1 ingredient of the plant – cannabidiol) for around £ 500 per kilo, dilute it with cooking oil to the required concentration, e.g. 5%, and pour it into 10ml bottles which sell for £ 30 . The profits are gigantic, unfortunately there are no healing effects. Therefore, rely on the opinion of friends who use CBD. Also use various support groups, and also gather information yourself. Knowledge is the key.