International CBD Regulation Roundup: EU, UK, and Beyond

European Union. — CBD's regulatory status in the EU has been shaped significantly by Novel Food regulations, which require pre-market safety authorization for CBD extracts used in food and supplements. This has created a more formalized — and slower — approval pathway than the U.S. market's relatively open structure.

United Kingdom. — Post-Brexit, the UK established its own Novel Food process for CBD products through the Food Standards Agency, requiring companies to submit safety dossiers for products to remain legally on the market, with deadlines and enforcement phases rolled out over time.

Other markets. — Countries like Switzerland have taken a notably different approach, regulating cannabis products partly by THC content with comparatively permissive thresholds for low-THC products. Meanwhile, many countries in Asia and the Middle East maintain strict prohibition on cannabis-derived products of any kind, including hemp-derived CBD.

The overall picture is one of significant regulatory fragmentation globally — a product legally sellable in one country may be entirely prohibited in a neighboring one, which matters significantly for any internationally-minded hemp business or traveler.