The Netherlands has a reputation for being a Cannabis friendly nation. It may even be considered a pioneer of Cannabis culture.
Amsterdam is known worldwide and in popular culture as a hub for Cannabis use, with their cafes and head shops where the plant can be freely purchased and smoked on-premise for recreational purposes.
Given this, many would assume that CBD oil is legal and easily available in The Netherlands. Despite its reputation, the legality of the issue may surprise many people. Let's look at some of the basic questions concerning CBD legality in The Netherlands.
IS IT LEGAL TO BUY CBD IN THE NETHERLANDS ONLINE: YES
Anything that comes from the Cannabis plant falls under the Opioid Act of 1912, which made it illegal to process the Cannabis plant in any way. In 1999 the law was amended to allow certain Hemp strains containing less than 0.2% THC legal so that Hemp can be cultivated in The Netherlands and processed for materials manufacturing.
This being said, CBD oils containing less than 0.2% CBD can be purchased online and consumed if it was made outside of The Netherlands, as it is illegal to extract anything from the Hemp plant.
IS IT LEGAL TO BUY CBD IN THE NETHERLANDS OFFLINE: YES
Yes. CBD is legal to buy if it contains less than the allowed 0.2% THC.
IS IT LEGAL TO GROW HEMP FOR CBD IN THE NETHERLANDS? YES
As stated above, the Opioid Act made it illegal to grow Hemp for anything other than for Hemp materials production. As such, the manufacturing of CBD from Hemp within the Netherlands is technically illegal, although not enforced.
IS IT LEGAL IN ITALY TO BUY PRODUCTS CONTAINING ABOVE 0.2% OF THC FOR MEDICAL USE: YES
While medicinal THC use is not as high as one may think THC products are sold freely in cafes and can be purchased for medicinal use. Legislative allowances for medical THC are quite low, with only a handful of THC containing products sanctioned for use by the government. All these products contain low levels of THC.
If one does use THC products for medicinal purposes, the availability of Cannabis and associated products is high and tolerated.
<3>IS IT LEGAL IN ITALY TO BUY PRODUCTS CONTAINING ABOVE 0.2% OF THC FOR RECREATIONAL USE: NOThe use of THC for recreational purposes is not legal in The Netherlands, but it is highly tolerated. Cafes and head shops selling THC products, including Cannabis, can be found throughout most large cities. These cafes began in the early 1970s and have continued unimpeded until today. THC for recreational purposes is unlikely to bring one any legal problems, even if it is technically illegal.
It is worth noting that Cannabis for personal use has been decriminalized in The Netherlands.
CONCLUSION
As noted above, the rules and regulations regarding CBD and Cannabis use are somewhat complicated but not heavily enforced. Businesses operate on the premise of making these products available to consumers with little to no hassle from the authorities.
CBD oil is legal as long as it was produced outside of The Netherlands and contains less than the legal concentration of 0.2% THC in its formulation.
