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CBD in Ireland: The Time’s Shift of Laws – 2025
Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Cannabidiol (abbreviated as CBD) use in the Republic of Ireland is strictly legal yet complicated in the year 2025. CBD itself is free from the control list, but the law governing its sale, advertisement, and manufacturing is quite tight, which cannot be maintained by businesses and consumers. There are several factors that determine whether any product with CBD will be considered legal or not: product’s purpose, THC levels, and the legality under both Irish and European laws.
Navigating the Bureaucracy: FSAI, HPRA and ‘Novel Foods’
The two main regulators of CBD products in Ireland are the Food Safety Authority and the Health Products Regulatory Authority. FSA is the department responsible for ensuring safety and accurate labeling of foods, which consists of many of the CBD products in the market, oils, capsules, and edibles inclusive. HPRA, however, is responsible for the regulation of medicines.
A common obstacle to all orally consumed CBD is the EU Novel Foods Regulation. The rule states that food that was not significant in the EU since before May 1997 is a novel food and must therefore be allowed in the market prior to its sale. As of September 2025, no such food or supplement containing CBD has been cleared for commercialization, meaning that most commercial products fall into legal limbo. In the effect of this, the FSAI went with a zero tolerance policy as regards where product withdrawals were made from shelves and actions taken against the traders.
The Legal Limit on THC is Another Known Power Struggle
In order to sell a CBD product in Ireland as raw hemp oil, the hemp used to make it should contain a percentage of cereal plants which includes the legality of its known psychoactive THC. 3% THC in presence is acceptable; less than this is not permissible for sale.
Under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, irrespective of the amount present, any product which comes with THC content could be classified as a prohibited substance. Although a 0.2% limit is sometimes mentioned as a reference since most of the EU uses this threshold for the cultivation of the hemp plant, the FSAI, on the other hand, might require a ‘zero tolerance’ or not even trace levels of THC from food products for any reason in order to preempt any court cases. This has led to very satisfactory creation measures for both manufacturers and sellers.
Irish Buyer’s Guide on How to Avoid Issues with CBD
There are several CBD products available for purchase on the Irish market, but there are several factors that should be considered before buying such products:
- Products Differ Over Purpose of Use: Such as creams, balms, and cosmetic CBD products are strictly not novel foods, because they have none of the intricate expectations which novel foods are subjected to. This means that they are also generally permissible and it is safer to purchase them.
- Laboratory Reports Scrutinize: Trustworthy suppliers will offer a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) from a third-party lab. This document demonstrates the various types of cannabinoids including specific portions of the content of CBD and most especially THC for the product. Confirm that the THC levels are below the 0.2% maximum permissible limit at the very best, or even incomprehensible to see in ingestible items.
- Avoid Making Medical Claims: In Ireland, society is prohibited from advertising medical or health-related CBD products in any way. No CBD product has been approved by the HPRA as a medicine except under the severe limitations of the Medical Cannabis Access Programme.
- Be Aware of the Dangers: It is important for customers to understand that there is a more or less legal grey area regarding the purchase of food-based CBD products, as a result of the Novel Food regulations. Although the likelihood of individual users being prosecuted is low, it is the retailers who are and will be subjected to the majority of such actions.
To sum up, is CBD legal in Ireland? Yes, it is, but the law is not black or white. As there is no approval of edible use under the Novel Foods legislation while extremely strict restrictions in terms of THC are applicable, there is therefore a ‘grey market’ in Ireland. Therefore, consumers on one hand are recommended to buy tested products and on the other hand – distinguish different product categories within the Irish CBD market in 2025 for their own interest.