Use of CBD in cosmetics and foods

CBD products continue to be widely available. In November 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled – for the first time – on the legality of CBD, clarifying in its judgment that CBD does not constitute a narcotic drug as defined in the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs; this is the case irrespective of whether the CBD is produced synthetically or obtained naturally from the hemp plant – and from which parts (seeds and leaves vs. flowering and fruiting tops) (CJEU 19 November 2020, C-663/18). This ruling also has legal consequences for cosmetics and foodstuffs.