What is it and is it legal?
In recent years, cannabidiol, more commonly known as CBD, has gained increasing popularity in the medical field as the cannabis plant extract shows promising results for a whole host of medical conditions. From treating cancer and reducing seizures in epileptic children to helping muscle spasms in patients of multiple sclerosis and managing chronic pain, consumers and businesses are increasingly fascinated by the rapidly increasing value of CBD, both medically and commercially.
Cannabidiol is an oil which comes from the cannabis plant and contains tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which affects the mind and mood (i.e. the psychoactive component in cannabis that produces a ‘high’). Cannabis is a Class B drug meaning it is illegal to possess, and anyone found with the drug is criminally prosecuted.
Cannabidiol (CBD) has been legal in the United Kingdom since 2016, and it is recognised as a medicine. Medicinal cannabis is now available on prescription following several high-profile cases, including young epilepsy sufferers Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell, whose conditions appeared to be helped by cannabis oil.
The CBD market in the UK
The UK’s CBD industry has seen a staggering increase in the last 3 years, since the government passed a law in 2016 allowing the use of CBD as a legally recognised medicine. Figures show that in the last three years, cannabis oil has contributed in excess of £100 million per year to the British economy. Over the next decade, the CBD market is forecast to reach £16.5 billion according to the Financial Times.
The cannabis industry in the UK is already very large and is set to keep growing. S&P Global’s latest report estimates that the growth in legal cannabis will outpace other consumer goods sectors, such as packaged food, soft drinks, alcohol and tobacco (see the figure below).
The hopeful promise of such a staggering increase in the CBD market over the next few years has enticed large companies such as Coca-Cola to express an interest in producing CBD products. Businesses and investors investing in this novel(?) product hope to reap the benefits of taking a risk in the early market once CBD oils and other cannabis-based products become mainstream.
In Europe, the CBD market continues to grow leading analysts to project a similar pattern in the UK. According to the Brightfield Group, Europe’s CBD market, currently estimated at $318 million, is estimated to grow over 400% through 2023. This is leading analysts to project a similar pattern in the UK; Brightfield forecast that the CBD market in the UK is set to grown from $76.2million (£57.7m) in 2018 to $440.8m by 2023.
Regulatory Challenges
However, the Home Office’s recent license revocation of one of the UK’s largest hemp farms, Hempen, signals a potential setback for the booming UK CBD industry. Furthermore, EU regulations have changed the classification of cannabis oil. Where CBD was previously classified as a health supplement, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is of the view that CBD should be classified as a novel food: foods which do not have a significant history of consumption. Such categorisation directly impacts and hinders the continued commercialisation of CBD, being sold as a food supplement in health food shops such as Holland and Barrett.
What does this mean for businesses and investors?
As a business owner, it is your responsibility to determine whether any products you sell or make, contain novel foods. The Home Office issues licenses which permit the farming and possession of industrial hemp for a specified commercial purpose. There are controls in place, in order to ensure cannabis is not being misused, for example, accountability for waste products such as THC.
The regulations surrounding the issue of CBD and industrial hemp are continuously changing. Furthermore, Britain’s new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson was one of the first senior Conservative Party politicians back in 2008, to call for the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use and pain relief. Perhaps, this is an indication that in his new role, Boris Johnson may drive Britain towards becoming a more relaxed regulatory environment for the commercialisation of CBD.
With the UK CBD market in a state of flux, and the potential for a $2.1 billion CBD industry by the end of 2020, it is crucial that businesses owners and investors take advice on how to be a pioneer in the developing CBD market and comply with its evolving regulations.
If you are seeking legal advice for your business for all types of Corporate & Commercial matters, please contact David Little or another member of our expert Corporate & Commercial Team on 020 7631 4141 or you can email company@bishopandsewell.co.uk.
David Little is a Partner in our Corporate & Commercial team and acts as Company Secretary for Spinnaker Opportunities Plc, which is on the Standard List of the London Stock Exchange. Spinnaker is currently engaged in negotiating the terms of a reverse takeover of Kanabo Research which develops, medically validates and patents formulations of medical cannabis extracts designed to target specific Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders.
