Community pharmacists considering stocking cannabidiol (CBD) products have been warned there is “a lot of non-compliant labelling out there” and advised not to sell brands containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Ceuta marketing director Jon Connolly told an event at the Ivy restaurant in London showcasing the brand Dragonfly that pharmacists needed to be aware of products that may not meet regulatory standards.

“There’s a lot of non-compliant labelling out there. People want to make money and are putting products out there without putting in the yards,” he said.

Dr Andy Yates, pharmacy lead at the Centre for Medicinal Cannabis, said pharmacists should not stock CBD products containing any THC, the principle psychoactive constituent of cannabis. CBD products have to contain less than 1mg of THC to be legal.

“THC can get you high, so as a consumer you probably don’t want THC in the product. Keep products with THC in them off your shelf. Then you will know they are legal," he said. 

Sultan ‘Sid’ Dajani, the former English Pharmacy Board member, told the event that CBD was an effective and safe alternative to opioids for pain relief while a report by the Centre for Medicinal Cannabis claimed 1.3 million people use CBD in the UK.

Surveys conducted this year by Dynata and YouGov claimed that four to six million people have tried CBD.

The UK market is said to be worth £300 million a year and is expected to reach £1 billion by 2025.

Picture: ewGig86 (iStock)