Are CBD Vapes Legal In The UK? Yes, But…

Vaping’s popularity is growing rapidly in Britain; data now shows that 11% of adults use vaporizers, vape pens, or disposables. Among 18-24-year-olds, though, the number of vapers has more than tripled in the last two years and now stands at about 30%.

Most who use the devices in the UK fill them with vape juice containing nicotine. However, the legalisation of CBD in Britain has led to a surge in the popularity of CBD vapes; some are prefilled disposable units, while others are standard vaping devices filled with CBD vape juice.

And it’s legal to vape CBD in the United Kingdom, as long as the vape juice contains no more than 0.2% of the psychoactive cannabinoid THC — an amount that won’t cause intoxication.

That sounds like an easy hurdle to clear since CBD products sold in Britain can’t legally exceed that limit. However, there’s plenty of vape juice on the market that could theoretically get you into trouble. It may be sourced from countries that allow higher levels of THC, or it may come from a producer that deliberately or accidentally exceeds the THC limit.

Here’s what you need to know.

Legal CBD in the UK

In a perfect world, all CBD products would be considered legal in Britain. Of course, the world isn’t perfect, and most laws are complicated. Let’s take a closer look at the current situation.

What Is CBD?

CBD (cannabidiol) is one of more than 100 naturally-occurring plant chemicals known as cannabinoids that are found in Cannabis sativa plants. The other cannabinoid that’s familiar to almost all readers is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the substance that triggers marijuana’s trademark psychoactive effects.

Both the cannabis plant and the hemp plants are members of the Cannabis sativa family. They’re closely related and very similar, and they each contain CBD and THC.

There’s one key difference, though. Cannabis plants generally have high levels of THC and low levels of cannabidiol. Hemp plants, on the other hand, contain low amounts of THC and much higher amounts of CBD.

That’s why CBD products are produced with cannabidiol sourced from hemp. When CBD is extracted, a small amount of the hemp’s THC comes with it — but not enough to make users intoxicated while the cannabidiol delivers its apparent health and wellness benefits. And those reported benefits are why CBD products have become so popular. We’ll discuss them later.

First, though, let’s talk about the law.

The Legality of CBD

CBD is not a “controlled drug” in Britain, so it’s not subject to stringent laws established by the 1971 United Kingdom Misuse of Drugs Act. However, marijuana is a controlled drug, meaning there are strict laws governing the use of products containing THC. Specifically, THC is an illegal substance under British law.

And the low levels of THC content in extracted CBD are where the legal complications come in.

As the CBD industry developed, the government struggled to define how existing laws should affect cannabidiol. Here’s what it decided: CBD products are legal to produce and sell in the UK, as long as they’re manufactured from hemp-derived cannabidiol, sold as “food supplements,” and receive a “Novel Foods” authorisation from the Food Standards Agency.

Most importantly, only CBD products containing less than 1mg of THC per container — a content of approximately 0.2% — are approved by government authorities. That’s around the same amount of THC that most hemp plants contain, but the restrictions ensure that no cannabidiol product purchased at retail will have psychoactive effects.

That sounds cut-and-dried, and it is — as long as the CBD vape juice you purchase has gone through the process.

Why Would CBD Vape Juice Be Illegal?

There are three scenarios under which using CBD vape liquid could violate the law.

CBD vs. THC Vape Juice

It would be great if everyone followed the rules. Not everyone does.

Since cannabis is illegal in the UK, there’s a thriving black market. Some of those dealers also sell THC vape juice, which has become popular as an alternative to smoking marijuana. Naturally, that juice contains much higher levels of THC than is found in legal CBD vape juice.

Some vendors might claim the intoxicating vape liquid is a cannabidiol product, but much more likely, a consumer who doesn’t understand the difference between THC and CBD could purchase cannabis vape liquid under the mistaken belief that it’s the same as the CBD version. That would lead to two surprises: unexpectedly getting high, and using illegal vape juice.

Vape Juice from Legal but Unreliable Sources

Some vendors that sell “legal” CBD products in stores and online may also cause unwanted problems for vapers.

• The CBD vape juice may be sourced from companies that haven’t had their products approved by the government, so there’s no guarantee the vape liquid meets the UK’s 0.2% THC limitation.
• Vendors may source their CBD vape juice from companies with poor quality control, so the liquid may contain more than the legal amount of THC.

How can you avoid those potential problems? It’s always the best idea to only patronize reputable sellers, but even then, it’s a good move to take additional steps to ensure your juice doesn’t contain “too much” THC. We’ll look at those steps shortly.

Vape Juice from other Countries

Some users may get their CBD vape juice from online vendors based in countries other than Britain, and that’s not a good idea. Many EU nations and the US set the maximum allowable amount of THC in CBD products at 0.3% (or higher), rather than the 0.2% that would make the products legal in the UK.

People may also buy juice while on a trip to the EU, not realizing that the legal CBD vape liquid they’ve purchased in France or Austria can’t be imported or used in Britain.

How to Be Sure Your CBD Vape Juice is Legal

You can take two steps to ensure you won’t be inadvertently using an illegal CBD product.

1. Check the Certificate of Authenticity (COA). Trustworthy producers send their products, including vape juice, to a third-party lab for testing. The lab creates a COA that lists the percentage of each cannabinoid found in the product, and also identifies other compounds like terpenes and any hazardous material discovered. Reputable producers include a link to the COA on the vape liquid’s packaging or a package insert.
2. Buy broad-spectrum CBD or CBD isolate vape juice. The cannabidiol extracted directly from hemp is known as full-spectrum CBD; it also contains THC and other cannabinoids and plant compounds, all of which boost the cannabidiol’s effectiveness through what’s called the “entourage effect.” Broad-spectrum CBD has had almost all of the THC removed, and CBD isolate is pure CBD with no THC at all. They’re not as effective as full-spectrum, but they’re virtually certain to be legal.

Why Vape CBD?

There are many options for those who decide to use cannabidiol. CBD oil, CBD capsules, CBD edibles, and CBD topical products are just some of the possibilities. (In some countries, users can also smoke hemp flower, but that’s illegal in the UK.)

More and more people are choosing to vape CBD juice, though, for two major reasons. Vaping is the most efficient way to consume cannabidiol, and CBD works faster when vaped than it does when used with any other consumption method.

Here’s why. When you swallow a CBD product, it has to move through the gastrointestinal system before the cannabidiol is available to be absorbed into the bloodstream and moved through the body. Digestion can take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours, depending on the form of the CBD product, and some of the cannabidiol is lost in the process.

Vaping, however, sends the cannabinoid directly to the lungs, where it is immediately absorbed and sent to the bloodstream. Much less of the cannabidiol is lost, and its benefits are realized within minutes. The only other method of consumption that can be compared to vaping, in terms of effectiveness and speed, is placing drops of CBD oil under the tongue.

Many people, of course, prefer not to inhale any type of vapor or smoke. For those who don’t object to the method, though, vaping is one of the best ways to reap the apparent benefits of CBD.

What are those apparent benefits? Glad you asked.

Potential Benefits of CBD Vapes

The only proven medical benefit of cannabidiol — at least, proven to the satisfaction of the medical establishment and governments that regulate cannabidiol — is that it can ease or prevent seizures in several rare forms of childhood epilepsy. The prescription form of CBD, in a medication called Epidiolex, is available through the NHS.

However, research results have indicated that cannabidiol may be an effective weapon against a number of medical and health issues. They include:

• Stress and anxiety
• Depression and more serious mental health conditions
• Autism spectrum disorder
• Insomnia
• Gut diseases
• Acne and other skin conditions
• Neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases
• Cerebral palsy
• Sleep difficulties and disorders
• Some forms of cancer

There’s also evidence that CBD use may be valuable for maintaining heart and brain health. However, research is ongoing and there’s no proof that cannabidiol can definitively help with any of these conditions. The best advice is to consult with your doctor or another health professional before vaping CBD for its apparent health and wellness benefits.

There’s one more key question to answer before we end this discussion.

What Is CBD Vape Juice?

What’s most important is what it isn’t: CBD vape liquid is not the same as CBD oil.CBD oil is the best-selling cannabidiol product. It’s available in all sorts of retail outlets, and of course, is sold online. However, it is not safe to vape.

Some producers add other ingredients, but at its core, CBD oil is a mixture of cannabidiol and a so-called carrier oil like MCT oil, coconut oil, or palm oil. A carrier is necessary because CBD itself isn’t processed efficiently in the body when it’s ingested; the carrier oil helps the cannabidiol move through the gastrointestinal system and protects much of its effectiveness.

Here’s the problem, though. When commonly-used carrier oils are heated (which is what happens during vaping), they’re likely to burn and produce dangerous fumes.

CBD vape juice, though, uses food-grade carriers like propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, which are safe to consume and don’t generate potentially unsafe fumes. (The same carriers are used in most nicotine vapes.)

If you’re thinking about giving CBD vapes a try, be sure to purchase CBD vape juice that’s specifically designed for use in vaporizers and vape pens. It’s available in most vape shops and online, and it’s the only liquid that’s safe to use.

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