CBD Regulation in the European Union

At a glance

Novel food: why does CBD need authorization?

In the EU, foods that were not consumed to a significant degree within the Union before May 15, 1997, count as “novel foods.” They can be sold only after the European Commission authorizes them and adds them to the “Union list.”^[1]

According to the Commission’s Novel Food Catalogue, hemp extracts and products containing cannabinoids such as CBD are novel foods, because a history of consumption in the EU has not been shown; so are products to which these extracts are added (for example, hemp seed oil with added CBD). Cannabinoids obtained synthetically count as novel too. Hemp seeds, hemp seed oil, hemp seed flour and defatted hemp seed are not novel foods.^{[2, 14, 15]}

So a CBD oil or capsule needs authorization before it can be sold as a food supplement in the EU. Many CBD applications have been submitted to the Commission; in 2026, it decided to terminate the procedure for more than twenty of them. As of November 1, 2026, we found no authorized CBD food in official sources.^{[3, 16]}

EFSA’s assessment: from 2022 to 2026

In June 2022, EFSA, the EU’s food safety agency, said that the safety of CBD as a novel food could not be established at that time; it listed data gaps on effects on the liver, the digestive tract, hormones, the nervous system and mental health.^[17]

In February 2026, EFSA calculated a provisional safe level for CBD used only as a food supplement: 0.0275 mg per kilogram of body weight per day, which works out to about 2 mg a day for a 70 kg adult. The value applies only to supplements that are at least 98% pure, contain no nanoparticles, are made by a process found to be safe and have had genotoxicity ruled out.^{[4, 15]}

EFSA said that safety could not be established for people under 25, pregnant or breastfeeding women and people taking medication, and that uncertainties remain about possible effects on the liver, hormones and the nervous and reproductive systems. This number is a safety ceiling calculated by the agency: it is not a personal dose recommendation, and it is not a sales authorization.^[4]

In September 2026, EFSA gave its first positive opinion, on chemically synthesized CBD that is at least 98% pure and dissolved in MCT oil: under the proposed conditions, it found up to 2 mg a day safe for adults over 25 who are not pregnant or breastfeeding; safety could not be established for people taking medication. In two opinions on CBD isolate from the plant, issued in May and September 2026, safety could not be established.^{[18, 19, 20]}

EFSA’s opinions are scientific assessments; the decision to authorize a novel food rests with the European Commission.^[1]

THC limits and national rules

There is no single THC limit for CBD products that applies in every EU member state. The 0.3% figure you often hear is the THC limit for hemp varieties eligible for EU farm support; it is not a sales rule for CBD products.^[5]

The EU also sets maximum THC levels for hemp seeds and products such as hemp seed oil sold as food.^[21]

How much THC is allowed in CBD products, and which products can be sold where, depend on each member state’s rules. A 2020 report by the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA, now called EUDA) describes how low-THC cannabis products are sold in most EU countries and how countries have responded with different regulations.^[6]

The Kanavape ruling: free movement between countries

On November 19, 2020, in the case known as Kanavape, the EU Court of Justice ruled that a member state may not ban the sale of CBD lawfully produced in another member state. The ruling concerned CBD extracted from the whole plant, not only from its fiber and seeds.^{[7, 8]}

According to the Court, CBD is not a drug within the meaning of the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961. A member state may still impose restrictions to protect public health, but the measure must be appropriate and proportionate.^{[7, 8]}

This does not mean every CBD product can be sold freely everywhere in the EU: products sold as food still need novel food authorization, and countries can set proportionate restrictions.^{[1, 8]}

The prescription CBD medicine: Epidyolex

Following an assessment by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), Epidyolex received a marketing authorization valid throughout the EU on September 19, 2019.^[9]

According to the product information at the EMA, it is used in patients 2 years of age and older together with clobazam for seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome, and as an add-on treatment for seizures associated with tuberous sclerosis complex; it is available only by prescription.^[9]

Although the authorization is valid across the EU, the price and reimbursement of the medicine are decided at the national level, within each country’s health system.^[22]

What does research show for these conditions? Our guide’s assessment:

• Lennox–Gastaut Syndrome: Proven effect · ●●●● Strong evidence
• Dravet Syndrome: Proven effect · ●●●● Strong evidence
• Tuberous Sclerosis: Proven effect · ●●●○ Moderate evidence

The result and strength of evidence are our guide’s assessment for these conditions; they are separate from the medicine’s approval status.

CBD in cosmetics

The EU cosmetics regulation bans the use in cosmetics of narcotic drugs listed in Tables I and II of the UN Single Convention of 1961 (Annex II, entry 306).^[10]

The Single Convention defines “cannabis” as the flowering or fruiting tops of the plant; seeds and leaves not accompanied by the tops are excluded. That is why, in cosmetics, it matters whether CBD is synthetic and, if it comes from the plant, which part of the plant it comes from.^{[10, 23]}

The European Commission’s cosmetic ingredients database, CosIng, has separate entries for synthetic CBD and for CBD derived from the plant. CosIng is for information only and is not legally binding; the final word on whether a product complies rests with national authorities.^[11]

Travel within the EU

A traveler who lives in a Schengen country and carries a medicine containing narcotic or psychotropic substances for their treatment must, when going to another Schengen country, show a certificate issued or authenticated by a competent authority of their country of residence (Article 75 of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement).^[12]

CBD is not on the drug lists of the UN conventions; in 2019, the World Health Organization recommended that pure CBD preparations not be placed under international control. So the Article 75 certificate mainly concerns medicines that contain THC. Because countries can apply their own rules, the safest course is to confirm this with the authorities of both your country of residence and your destination.^{[7, 12, 24]}

The same goes for CBD products: a product sold freely in one country may be subject to different rules in another. The UN’s International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) publishes a page collecting country information for people traveling with medicines that contain controlled substances.^{[6, 13]}

Bringing CBD into Turkey follows Turkey’s own rules; see our page on regulation in Turkey for details.

Regulation in Turkey

Check the rules of the country you are in

EU rules set a common framework, but most of the details that matter in daily life, such as where a CBD product can be sold and how much THC it can contain, are in national rules.^{[6, 8]}

The most reliable sources are the food safety agency, the medicines agency and the health ministry of the country you are in. Before you travel, you can check the official sources of your destination country or its embassy.

Frequently asked questions

Timeline

1. January 1, 2018

   Novel food regulation applies

   Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 introduced a central authorization system for novel foods.^[1]

2. September 19, 2019

   Epidyolex authorized

   The prescription CBD medicine received an EU-wide marketing authorization.^[9]

3. November 19, 2020

   Kanavape ruling

   The EU Court of Justice ruled that CBD lawfully produced in another member state may be banned only on proportionate grounds.^{[7, 8]}

4. June 2022

   EFSA: data gaps

   EFSA said the safety of CBD as a novel food could not yet be established.^[17]

5. February 9, 2026

   EFSA: provisional safe level

   0.0275 mg/kg/day (about 2 mg/day at 70 kg) was calculated for supplements.^{[4, 15]}

6. May 2026

   EFSA: plant-derived CBD isolate

   Safety could not be established for one application.^[19]

7. September 2026

   EFSA: first positive opinion, on synthetic CBD

   Found safe under the proposed conditions; the same month, safety again could not be established for a plant-derived isolate.^{[18, 20]}

Sources

Other countries

CBD in Turkey · CBD in the United States

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, write to [email protected].