CBD Laws in Europe and WHO’s position on cannabidiol

CBD Laws in Europe: For several years now, the WHO (World Health Organization), an institution attached to the United Nations, has been studying cannabis and its classification in the table of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961.

As early as 2016, the Organization had launched a process to review the status of cannabis through the meeting of a Committee of Experts on Drug Dependence. A little over three years later, this Committee of Experts is thus in favour of declassifying cannabis and its derivative products in a letter written by the Director-General of the WHO.

In this article, we will try to understand what the law says about the use of CBD, and you will see that you can now buy legal hash on JustBob legally and fully enjoy CBD’s health benefits.

CBD cannabis: a product without harmful effects

Until now classified at the highest level (Table IV) alongside heroin, cannabis would then move to Table I. From a status of substance without therapeutic value with significant harmful effects, cannabis would thus be considered a non-harmful product with potential therapeutic applications.

If cannabis would remain a narcotic, the conditions for its use and that of its derivatives could well be simplified. This concerns, in particular, dronabinol, hitherto classified in Table II, tinctures and extracts of cannabis, hitherto classified in Table I.

What does the law say in Europe?

Used to counter anxiety and stress states, CBD is widely used not only in the UK but throughout Europe. Maybe you’d like to try it too, but you’re not sure it’s legal.

CBD, like THC, is extracted from a plant known as cannabis Sativa, which is nothing but hemp.

Unlike THC, CBD doesn’t cause hallucinations and does not alter the psychic state of those who take it. For this reason, its use, as you can read on this article, is not prohibited by law since it cannot be considered a drug.

Is CBD (or cannabidiol) safe?

Increasingly popular, this hemp-derived product is now sold in many speciality shops. However, many prejudices remain about CBD (or cannabidiol). What is the difference with cannabis? Is it dangerous for health? Can it relieve pain? Answers.

It is difficult today to miss out on CBD or cannabidiol. It is one of the molecules essentially contained in the cannabis flower. However, it should not be confused with cannabis itself, a complex plant composed of cannabinoid molecules, including CBD or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Some varieties of cannabis can be high in THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive molecule. This molecule is “incriminated in the problems that recreational and illegal cannabis consumption can cause”.

This THC-rich cannabis is prohibited in France since its so-called “recreational” consumption can cause addiction, memory problems, attention disorders… “THC has a euphoric effect, it can cause hallucinatory phenomena and it has a risk of addictive and toxic to the body” explains Prof. Amine Benyamina, psychiatrist and addictology professor.

Conversely, other varieties of cannabis have an exceptionally high rate of CBD, which is “relaxing, anxiolytic and does not cause addiction”, according to this specialist.

What are the CBD’s effects?

“CBD is not a drug,” says Professor Amine Benyamina. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated in a report (2017) that CBD is not harmful to health. “It does not produce the effects typically seen with cannabinoids such as THC. […] In its pure state, CBD does not appear to present any potential for abuse, nor to be harmful to health”, ensure the experts of the WHO.

CBD could cure

In this same report, the WHO adds that CBD could have “some therapeutic value”, although, for the moment, additional evidence is needed (except in the case of epilepsy where a drug is already available). 

It is authorized in some countries, such as the United Kingdom or Switzerland, which is considered an auxiliary to herbal medicine or treatment. 

In France, its use is arousing growing interest and is the subject of medical research due to its numerous properties (anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-epileptic, etc.).

For the addictologist Amine Benyamina, “CBD is relaxing. It soothes migraines and backaches, and facilitates sleep. In some cases, it can also help people addicted to recreational cannabis. According to the APM (Agence Presse Médicale), a study has shown that CBD could help some cannabis smokers quit.

“The possible healing effects of CBD form the central basis of therapeutic cannabis, on which France has recently legislated. Since March 26, 2021, therapeutic cannabis has been in the test phase for three years” recalls Professor Amine Benyamina. Authorized since 2019 but delayed by the health crisis, the experiment.

Therefore, it began last March with the first prescription of medical cannabis.

A temporary Scientific Committee will monitor this experimental phase (CST) set up by the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM). It will allow at least 3,000 patients suffering from severe illnesses and refractory symptoms to access, by medical prescription, products derived from cannabis and dispensed in pharmacies.

And as a British CBD user, you can quickly and legally order the best CBD flower, CBD oils and other CBD products online et JustBob.shop … so, what are you waiting for?

This is the best way to start your CBD journey with the pieces of advice from the best experts in Europe.