Largest human CBD trial launches with eye toward checking safety of trace THC

The largest-yet human CBD toxicological trial has been launched in Europe to check the effects of consuming trace amounts of THC.

The European Industrial Hemp Association says it will assess 200 CBD users for a 30-day period.

The association tells UK-based Cannabis Health News that the goal is to demonstrate to European regulators that trace THC is safe to consume. The effort will cost 1.6 million Euros ($1.9 million).

It’s been two years since EU authorities classified all hemp extracts and hemp-derived products containing CBD and other cannabinoids as “novel foods.”

The EIHA has bristled against the designation, which means that manufacturers need to have their CBD supplements and foods evaluated before getting permission from EU authorities to place them on the market.

The hemp group is looking to show that full-spectrum CBD products should not be subject to EU novel foods requirements.

“When it comes to low levels of cannabinoids in food, this has been sold on the market for 25 years,” EIHA’s Lorenza Romanese told Cannabis Health News. “It is not novel.”

The study comes a month after the EIHA submitted three novel-food applications on behalf of its members to European and UK food-safety authorities. The UK says it will remove CBD products from shelves after March 31 if the makers haven’t submitted a novel-food application.

The EIHA submitted applications for three kinds of CBD products: an isolate-based product, a synthetic CBD product and a full-spectrum CBD product.