‘Toxic’ cannabis oil is labelled a risk to babies

PREGNANT women, breastfeeding mothers and vulnerable people should not take cannabis oil, health experts said yesterday.

They warned the popular CBD supplements sold in shops could be toxic to unborn babies.

The chemicals may also be harmful to anyone who is taking medication, said the Food Standards Agency.

Even healthy adults should limit use, advised the watchdog which is working with Westminster’s Department of Health and the Home Office.

It is so concerned that it has given companies selling CBD products until March next year to apply for official safety assessment and approval or they will be banned.

Professor Alan Boobis, the chairman of the Committee on Toxicity which advises the FSA, said: ‘My committee has found evidence that there are potential adverse health effects from consumption.

‘We are particularly concerned about pregnant or breastfeeding women and people on medication.’

CBD supplements are legal because they do not make users high – unlike THC, the pyschoactive element in cannabis.

But there is some evidence THC levels in supplements are higher than stated.

A number of supplement and food makers have turned CBD into a booming UK market with sales predicted to hit £1billion a year by 2025.

Derived from hemp or cannabis plants, CBD is said to combat anxiety, pain, inflammation and even epilepsy. It is sold as health drops, vaping liquids and is also in food and drink including sweets and teas.

But the FSA is alarmed none has been through a formal approval process.

At the same time, no producers have been able to demonstrate scientifically that they provide any health benefits.

Animal studies have shown reproductive and foetal toxicity from CBD, which suggests babies in the womb might suffer organ damage.

The Committee on Toxicity said it is also highly likely the chemical would pass into a mother’s breast milk.

It said it has been associated with liver damage.

Other potential side effects include sleepiness, decreased appetite, irritability, diarrhoea, fatigue and malaise.

FSA chief Emily Miles said: ‘The CBD industry must provide more information about the safety and contents of these products to the regulator before March 31, 2021, or the products will be taken off the shelves.

‘Also, we are advising that CBD could be risky for vulnerable groups and suggest a limit of 70mg a day for everyone else taking the product.’

The 70mg figure equates to a maximum of 28 drops of a product that is 5 per cent CBD.

The Cannabis Trades Association challenged whether there was a need for a safety assessment process.

‘Potential adverse effects’