Skip to content
Search the site

CBD laws by country

CBD rules differ from country to country. This table puts the places we cover side by side; every row is based on official sources and dated.

Last checked: Based on official sourcesNot legal advice.

What's on this page?

At a glance

At a glance
CountryLegal statusTHC limitWhere it’s soldApproved CBD medicineLast checked
United States
CBD in the United States
CBD laws by state		CBD made from hemp is legal at the federal level. Federal rules tighten on November 12 and December 11, 2026, and states can set stricter rules.[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]No more than 0.3% delta-9 THC by dry weight. From December 11, 2026 (unless delayed again): no more than 0.3% total THC, and no more than 0.4 mg per container in finished products.[1, 2, 3]According to the FDA, CBD cannot be sold as a dietary supplement, and food with added CBD cannot be sold across state lines. Sales rules vary from state to state.[4, 5, 6]Epidiolex (since 2018), by prescription.[7, 8]
European Union
CBD in the European Union		Food and supplements containing CBD count as “novel foods” and need EU authorization before sale. As of November 1, 2026, we found no authorized CBD food.[9, 10]No common EU-wide limit for CBD products; countries differ. 0.3% applies to hemp varieties eligible for farm support.[11, 12]Rules differ by country. EU Court of Justice (2020): CBD lawfully produced in another member state may be banned only on proportionate public health grounds.[12, 13]Epidyolex (authorized across the EU since 2019), by prescription.[14]
United Kingdom
CBD in the United Kingdom		Pure CBD is not a controlled substance, but a CBD product that does not meet the “exempt product” definition needs a Home Office licence. Selling it as food requires novel food authorisation; as of November 3, 2026, we found no authorised CBD food in any region.[15, 16, 17]No component part of an exempt product may contain more than 1 mg of a controlled drug (such as THC); the Home Office measures this against the container, not the dose. The recommended 50 microgram limit is not yet law. The hemp licence threshold is 0.2%.[15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22]Food rules differ by region: England and Wales (FSA), Scotland (Food Standards Scotland) and Northern Ireland (unauthorised novel foods). The FSA and FSS advise healthy adults to take no more than 10 mg a day from food; this is not a personal dose recommendation, and not a sales authorisation.[16, 17, 23]Epidyolex, by prescription. Only clinicians on the GMC specialist register can prescribe cannabis-based products for medicinal use.[24, 25]
Canada
CBD in Canada		CBD counts as cannabis under the federal Cannabis Act, even when it comes from hemp. Only provincially or territorially authorized cannabis retailers and federally licensed sellers for medical purposes may sell it. According to Health Canada (page dated August 10, 2026), there is no legal pathway for a non-prescription CBD supplement.[26, 27, 28]Retail edibles: at most 10 mg of THC per container; extracts and topicals: at most 1000 mg per container; no cap for CBD. Industrial hemp: no more than 0.3% THC in the flowering heads and leaves.[29, 30]Provincial and territorial cannabis stores (minimum age 18 in Alberta and 21 in Quebec; 19 elsewhere according to Health Canada’s page dated October 26, 2022) and federally licensed medical sellers. According to the CBSA, carrying cannabis, including CBD oil, across the border without a permit is a serious criminal offence.[27, 31, 32]Epidiolex (authorized in 2023, on the market since 2024), by prescription.[33, 34]
Turkey
CBD in Turkey (in Turkish, on cbd.com.tr)		CBD products can be sold only in pharmacies. Medicines and “health products” are dispensed with a prescription; the regulation sets no prescription requirement for “support products” and cosmetics.[35, 36]No more than 0.3% in support products and cosmetics.[36]Pharmacies only.[35, 36]No licensed CBD medicine as of October 19, 2026 (list of licensed medicines of TİTCK, the Turkish medicines agency, October 16, 2026).[37]

Traveling with CBD

Flying within the US: TSA officers do not search for illegal drugs, but they refer any illegal substance found during screening to law enforcement; liquids in carry-on bags must be 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per container. CBD may not be sent from the US by international mail.[38, 39, 40]

A traveler who lives in a Schengen country and carries a medicine containing narcotic or psychotropic substances for their treatment must show a certificate from their country of residence when going to another Schengen country. Because CBD is not on the UN drug lists, this mainly concerns medicines that contain THC.[41, 42]

United Kingdom: GOV.UK says schedule 1 drugs cannot be brought into the UK without a licence, and travellers may bring up to 3 months’ supply of a prescribed medicine containing a controlled drug. The page does not mention CBD; in our reading, a CBD product that contains THC and is not an exempt product falls under this.[25, 43]

Canada: according to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), carrying cannabis, including CBD oil, across the border without a Health Canada permit or exemption is a serious criminal offence; a medical document does not change this (CBSA page, March 26, 2021).[32]

Turkey: a medicine that is not licensed in Turkey can be brought in through an official route in which the patient’s doctor applies to TİTCK, the Turkish medicines agency. We found no clear provision on people bringing CBD products in their luggage or by mail.[44]

Before you travel, check the current rules of the country you are going to: they can be very different from the rules at home.

Frequently asked questions

Is CBD legal everywhere?

No. The rules change from country to country, and in the US from state to state. In Turkey, for example, CBD products can be sold only in pharmacies, and in the European Union a CBD food needs authorization before it is sold; as of November 1, 2026, we found no CBD food that had it.[4, 5, 9, 10, 35]

Is there an approved CBD medicine?

Yes: Epidiolex in the United States (2018), Epidyolex in the European Union (2019), Epidyolex in the United Kingdom (listed by the NHS) and Epidiolex in Canada (authorized in 2023, on the market since 2024), all by prescription. Turkey had no licensed CBD medicine as of October 19, 2026; an unlicensed medicine can be brought in only through the official route, with the doctor applying to TİTCK.[7, 14, 24, 33, 34, 37, 44]

Is the THC limit 0.3% everywhere?

No. In the US, the hemp definition is based on 0.3% delta-9 THC by dry weight until December 11, 2026; the European Union has no common limit for CBD products, and 0.3% applies only to hemp varieties eligible for farm support; in the United Kingdom, there is no percentage limit for CBD products, and the “exempt product” test looks for no more than 1 mg of a controlled drug in any component part (the hemp licence threshold is 0.2%); in Canada, there is no upper limit for CBD, but retail edibles may contain at most 10 mg of THC per container, and industrial hemp at most 0.3% in the flowering heads and leaves; in Turkey, the 0.3% limit applies to support products and cosmetics.[1, 3, 11, 12, 15, 18, 22, 29, 30, 36]

Sources

Show 44 references
  1. Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, Public Law 115-334 (December 20, 2018), §10113 (hemp definition) and §12619 (Controlled Substances Act)
  2. Public Law 119-37 (November 12, 2025), Division B, Sec. 781: amendments to the definition of hemp (7 U.S.C. 1639o)
  3. Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027, Public Law 119-103 (September 2, 2026), Sec. 2019: Section 781 extension
  4. 7 U.S.C. § 1639p(a)(3): State and tribal hemp plans, no preemption (text via Cornell Law School LII)
  5. Congressional Research Service, In Focus IF13136: Changes to the Statutory Definition of Hemp and Implications for Agricultural Policy (updated September 28, 2026)
  6. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): FDA Regulation of Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Products, Including Cannabidiol (CBD)
  7. Drugs@FDA: Epidiolex (cannabidiol) oral solution, NDA 210365 (approved June 25, 2018)
  8. DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine): Epidiolex (cannabidiol) prescribing information
  9. Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2015 on novel foods
  10. European Commission: Novel food, decisions terminating the procedure
  11. Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 (CAP Strategic Plans), Article 4: hemp varieties with a THC content of no more than 0.3%
  12. European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA, now EUDA): Low-THC cannabis products in Europe (December 2020)
  13. Court of Justice of the European Union: Case C-663/18, B S and C A (“Kanavape”), judgment of November 19, 2020
  14. European Medicines Agency (EMA): Epidyolex (cannabidiol), European public assessment report
  15. Home Office: Drug licensing factsheet: cannabis, CBD and other cannabinoids (updated October 3, 2024)
  16. Food Standards Agency (FSA): Cannabidiol (CBD) guidance (GOV.UK, updated August 28, 2026)
  17. Food Standards Scotland (FSS): Cannabidiol (consumer advice)
  18. The Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, regulation 2 (interpretation: “exempt product”)
  19. Government Chemist: Guidance on analytical limits for controlled cannabinoids (January 13, 2021)
  20. The Government's response to the ACMD's advice on Consumer Cannabidiol (CBD) products (letter of October 24, 2023)
  21. Home Office: Low THC cannabis (industrial hemp) licensing factsheet (updated December 18, 2025)
  22. The Misuse of Drugs (Licence Fees) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/2497), regulation 2
  23. Food Standards Scotland and Food Standards Agency update consumer advice for CBD (October 12, 2023)
  24. NHS: Medical cannabis (last reviewed May 27, 2022)
  25. Home Office Circular 018/2018: Rescheduling of cannabis-based products for medicinal use in humans
  26. Cannabis Act (S.C. 2018, c. 16), current to October 19, 2026, last amended March 26, 2026
  27. Health Canada: Cannabidiol (CBD), and industrial hemp (page dated July 30, 2020)
  28. Health Canada: Towards a pathway for health products containing cannabidiol: Natural health products containing cannabidiol (page dated August 10, 2026)
  29. Cannabis Regulations (SOR/2018-144), current to October 19, 2026
  30. Industrial Hemp Regulations (SOR/2018-145), last amended June 4, 2026
  31. Health Canada: Authorized cannabis retailers in the provinces and territories (page dated October 26, 2022)
  32. Canada Border Services Agency: Travellers: Cannabis at the border (page modified March 26, 2021)
  33. Health Canada Drug Product Database: EPIDIOLEX (DIN 02543079)
  34. EPIDIOLEX product monograph (revised May 16, 2024), linked from Health Canada’s Drug Product Database
  35. 7557 sayılı Kanun, madde 9 (Resmî Gazete 32965, 24 Temmuz 2025): kenevirden elde edilen ürünler yalnız eczanelerden satılır
  36. Kenevirden Elde Edilen Ürünlere Dair Yönetmelik (Resmî Gazete 33154, 31 Ocak 2026)
  37. TİTCK: Ruhsatlı Beşeri Tıbbi Ürünler Listesi (16 Ekim 2026)
  38. Transportation Security Administration (TSA): What Can I Bring? Medical Marijuana (updated April 27, 2026)
  39. TSA: Liquids, Aerosols, and Gels Rule
  40. U.S. Postal Service, Publication 52, Section 453.37: Hemp-Based Products
  41. Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985, Article 75 (OJ L 239, 22.9.2000)
  42. World Health Organization: letter to the UN Secretary-General on the ECDD recommendations on cannabis and cannabis-related substances (January 24, 2019)
  43. GOV.UK: Travelling with medicine containing controlled drugs
  44. Yurt Dışından İlaç Temini Yönetmeliği

About this page

This page is a plain summary of official texts; it is meant to inform and is not a substitute for legal advice. Rules can change and differ from place to place: before you decide, we suggest checking the official text and, if needed, talking to a lawyer. If you spot a change or an error, let us know through our contact form.