Until a few months ago, CBD oil was illegal in Slovakia. That changed as of May 1, 2021 - that's when new regulations came into effect, the result of a March vote by the Slovak parliament. What is the situation in Slovakia now?
Legal CBD oil
CBD products such as CBD oil in Slovakia were previously on the list of psychoactive substances. The change follows Slovakia's adaptation of laws and regulations approved by the European Commission regarding the status of CBD, food standards and EU free trade guarantees.
In December 2020. The European Court of Justice ruled that CBD should not be considered a psychoactive substance under the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, and that it can be freely traded throughout the European Union provided it is produced legally in its country of origin .
Slovakia was the last to legalize CBD
Prior to the passage of the amendment to the law legalizing CBD, Slovakia was the only European Union member state that still listed CBD as a narcotic and psychoactive substance.
The amendment, passed late last year, was a result of the Slovak Ministry of Health deciding to follow the guidelines of the World Health Organization's Expert Committee on Drug Dependence, which stated that CBD is not listed in the UN drug conventions.
CBD was declared a psychoactive substance in 2011, at the time when Slovak officials overreacted to the release in Europe of the hemp-produced drug Sativex, in which CBD is the active ingredient.
Boom in the hemp industry
The decision by the European Court of Justice has ensured greater openness and transparency in the European market for naturally produced CBD-based products, including but not limited to the very popular recent product CBD oil.
In Slovakia, where until now the production, trade and possession of CBD oil was illegal the hemp industry is starting to gain momentum. - In practical terms, the only change the new law introduces is that it allows the sale of cosmetics with pure CBD outside Slovak pharmacy chains, said Boris Baňas, Chief Sales Officer at the Czech CBDepot, which deals with hemp interests before the Slovak government.
