CBD oil has become incredibly popular in the UK, so much so that the market value of CBD is expected to reach a huge £1 billion by 2025.

Previously difficult to get hold of, CBD has become so mainstream that it is sold in high street stores and supermarkets, and is used as an aid for treating anything from epilepsy to cancer. It can also be used to manage pain, although the NHS states that while ‘there is some evidence medical cannabis can help certain types of pain … this evidence is not yet strong enough to recommend it for pain relief.’

Cannabidiol or CBD is a chemical substance found in cannabis that has medical benefits. It is a major constituent of the cannabis plant, representing up to 40% in its extracts. CBD is sometimes referred to as ‘medical cannabis’.

There is no current evidence of any long-term negative impact or likelihood of addiction to CBD, and no evidence that it could have a negative impact on your ability to work safely. So, with the rise of workplace drugs testing, particularly in safety critical industries, do employers and employees need to worry that the use of CBD will be flagged up as illegal marijuana use?

The cannabis plant produces a resin that contains different substances called cannabinoids. Two of the most well-known cannabinoids are:

delta-9-tetrahydrocannabidiol (THC) – illegal to use in the UK
cannabidiol (CBD) – legal in the UK.

Workplace drug testing kits detect Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly known as THC. THC is the main psychoactive substance found in the smoked Cannabis plant, responsible for the majority of the psychoactive effects of the drug, that pose an extreme danger to workplace safety.

Although some CBD oils contain trace amounts of THC, the Home Office states that CBD products cannot contain more than 0.2% THC. Based on this, if CBD oil is being used as per the recommended instructions and not in excess, it would not produce a positive THC result in an oral fluid (saliva) or a hair sample drug test, or cause any psychoactive effects.

However, it is important that CBD oil is not confused with Cannabis oil, which contains THC as well as CBD, and is a classified substance that would be detected by drugs tests. When looking to purchase CBD products, consumers should be careful to check the labelling, but so long as any products used contain only trace amounts of THC, safe CBD use will not be flagged up by a drugs test.

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