Last updated on April 26, 2022
If you’re from the United States or other areas of the world where CBD is legal, you may be wondering what the regulations look like when it comes to the substance in Europe. The good news is that most of Europe is currently CBD-friendly. The bad news however is that you probably shouldn’t travel there with CBD on your person.
Here’s everything you need to know about CBD laws in Europe.
The Origins of CBD
As you are probably aware, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it is a substance found in different strains of the cannabis plant. This has firmly associated CBD with marijuana culture in the mind of the public, but the different strains of cannabis plants can offer more than just entertainment for stoners.
This class of plants has dozens of other applications, from uses in the textile industry to medical applications. Cannabis can even be used as an ingredient in brew making, which is one of the reasons why CBD beers are now entering the market.
The versatility of cannabis is the reason why hemp was made legal in the US by the 2018 Farm Bill. Some states also include Delta-8 THC products from somewhere like www.area52.com in their legislation when it comes to cannabis products, as these can also be hemp-derived but, unlike CBD, produce a mild ‘high’ effect. If you are looking to use THC, you should do your research and make sure it is legal where you are before going ahead and purchasing. In the US, “hemp” is the legal term used to describe any strain of cannabis containing less than 0.3% of THC, which means it can’t be used for recreational purposes.
Why is this relevant? Because if you are thinking of traveling to Europe with CBD oil, you should know that the EU was far ahead of the curve when it comes to legalizing hemp.
Hemp and CBD in Europe
The EU parliament decided to make hemp legal back in 2013. It has since been legal to grow and trade both hemp and its byproducts among EU member nations. Most commercially available CBD today is extracted from hemp, but back in 2013, the main purpose of legalizing hemp was to fuel the textile industries in different EU member nations.
Speaking of the nations, it should be noted that countries are not forced to adhere to the EU’s decisions when it comes to hemp. Countries like Sweden, for example, only legalized hemp years after the EU parliament did. In the Netherlands, consumers can still import hemp byproducts and hemp itself, but making CBD within the borders of the country is still technically illegal.
So that’s your first obstacle when it comes to visiting Europe carrying CBD. Most nations allow for the substance to be used, but not all of them. In Norway, only people who have a prescription can buy or carry the substance. Belarus has made CBD outright illegal.
The second barrier is the incompatibility between laws in Europe and those in the rest of the world. Remember how we mentioned that the US allows for a 0.3% THC content in hemp and its byproducts? Well, in the EU that limit is 0.2%. This means that any CBD product brought over from the US may be illegal under EU laws unless you buy from a manufacturer who sells THC-free products like Cibdol does.
In a Nutshell
At the end of the day, when it comes to CBD in Europe, you are better off not having it on your person during your travels.
Eliminate the risk and simply buy CBD from local stores when you arrive, as that is both safer, more convenient and potentially cheaper anyway.
