The continued growth of CBD products in the UK

What’s all the fuss about CBD, Hemp or Cannabis oil?

So unless you have avoided online and print media for the last few years, you will have heard about stories relating to the potential benefits of taking extracts from the cannabis plant as well as recent changes about the use of medical cannabis in the UK. Many people are calling it the “Green Revolution” because of the global interest in developing the cannabis and hemp sector.

You maybe surprised to know that industrial hemp, cannabis, marijuana and “weed” are all the same species of plant, the key differences are down the different strains of plant that deliver different levels of the 400 different compounds including many beneficial terpenes such as Linalool and Lemoneen.

The difference between CBD and THC

Generally, the two key components that are focused on within the cannabis or hemp plant are cannabidiol (CBD), which is non psychoactive and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which is psychoactive. Some plants are bred to create high levels of CBD and others are bred for high THC levels depending upon aims of the grower. The cannabis plant has a long history and been used since the Ancient Egyptians. It was only made illegal in the UK in 1928 although was prescribed by doctors up until 1971 when it became illegal.

In the UK, the Home Office place restrictions on all products containing THC, with only Sativex currently licensed in the UK for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).  The sale of CBD in the UK is also regulated by the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Food Standards Agency (FSA). All resellers of CBD are vetted by the FSA and Trading standards to ensure that all products that are stocked are laboratory tested, have appropriate labelling and less than 0.2% trace of THC.

In the UK, industrial hemp is grown to produce a variety of different products which include CBD oils, sprays, balms and vapes. The cannabis plant can also used for producing protein powder, hemp oil and it’s tough structure for creating Hempcrete for building materials.

The world’s focus on cannabis plant

Globally, there is much research being undertaken with the cannabis plant, Israel has been working with the cannabis plant since the 1960’s and been prescribing since the early 1990s for cancer patients and also with pain-related illnesses such as Parkinson’s, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder. Because of the high level of regulation in the UK we are now seeing more cannabis imports coming from Israel, Holland and Bulgaria which a shame as the UK is perfect for the growth of industrial hemp and cannabis. We are hopeful that the UK Government will seek to reduce regulation to assist UK farmers growing this new crop.

Thinking of trying CBD as a food supplement?

For anyone looking at purchasing CBD products as a food supplements, I would recommend doing your own independent research and comparing different products online. There are also lots of facebook groups which offer information and advice on CBD. Always ensure you are buying from a reputable source and see what works for you as there are many different types of CBD products available.

Michael Yeoman has been involved in the CBD market for the last four years is managing director of a Hove based online Cannapro approved CBD business

www.ukcbdoil.org.uk His email is Michael.yeoman@ukcbdoil.org.uk