Patient groups across Europe launch an appeal over plans to restrict CBD
A group of patient organisations, including PatientsCann UK®, has launched a public appeal and petition. They are worried about plans in the Czech Republic to treat CBD as if it were a chemical used to make illegal drugs. Their message is short: share the evidence, talk to the patients affected, and decide in the open.
Sign the appealPatientsCann UK® is one of eight patient organisations in this coalition. The coalition campaigns on health policy and patient rights. It does not sell, promote, or link to any CBD product.
In short
The background
Why it matters
CBD (cannabidiol) is a substance from the cannabis plant. It does not make a person feel high. On its own, it is not controlled under the main international drug laws. A purified CBD medicine is already approved across the European Union to treat severe forms of epilepsy, a condition that causes seizures.
Because of this, the coalition says a sweeping restriction needs strong evidence behind it. It points to the International Narcotics Control Board, the United Nations body that watches drug controls. By that board’s own account, the proof that CBD is used to make illegal lab-made cannabinoids is limited.
There is also a practical worry. The products that are truly risky are synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabinoids, which are part or fully man-made cannabis-like chemicals, often sold through grey-market channels. These need direct enforcement, age limits, and quality rules. The appeal is published just hours before the Czech Government’s Council for Addiction Policy meets on the afternoon of 17 June 2026.
The unintended risk. If safe, tested CBD is pushed out of legal shops, demand will not disappear. It will move to an unregulated market, where contamination with heavy metals, pesticides, and solvents is far harder to catch.
Patients aren’t asking for a loophole. We’re asking not to be pushed into the shadows. If the Government believes CBD should be restricted, show the evidence, listen to the patients it affects, and explain why the rules we already have aren’t enough. Care before discrimination means deciding in daylight.Pavel Kubů, KOPAC (Patient Association for Cannabis Treatment), Czech Republic
What the coalition supports
- Clear quality standards.
- Testing for harmful substances.
- Honest labelling.
- Age limits.
- Real enforcement against dangerous synthetic products.
What it is not asking for
This is not a campaign against regulation, and it is not a request for a loophole. What the coalition objects to is a quiet, paperwork-only shortcut that rests on evidence no one has published.
The appeal
What we are asking
The appeal calls on the Czech Government, European Union institutions, and United Nations drug-control bodies to:
Add your name to the appeal
The petition is open now. The full appeal, the evidence behind it, and the press kit are on the campaign site. The appeal is published in six languages.
Who we are
About the coalition
Care Before Discrimination is a Human Right is an open coalition of patient organisations, with more joining. It campaigns on health policy and patient rights, and it does not promote, sell, or link to any CBD product. The appeal’s full title is “Care Before Discrimination: Patients’ Rights and the Proposed Restriction of CBD”.
Coalition media contact
media@cbdhumanright.orgSpokespeople are available in English, Czech, Spanish, French, German, and Italian. The team replies within a working day, and faster around procedural deadlines.
PatientsCann UK® press
press@patientscann.org.ukFor media enquiries about PatientsCann UK® and our part in the coalition.
Note
The appeal is available in six languages (English, Czech, Spanish, French, German, and Italian) on the campaign site and in the downloadable press kit.
In the Kanavape case, the European Union’s top court held that a member state may not ban the sale of CBD lawfully produced in another member state unless a restriction is necessary and proportionate, meaning fair and no more than is needed. The CBD in that case was produced in the Czech Republic.
HHC, a semi-synthetic cannabinoid, was added to Schedule II of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances by the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs. The decision took effect on 6 December 2025. The primary sources behind the appeal are listed in full below.
References
References follow the Harvard style. Sources with no named author are listed by the responsible body. All links were checked on 17 June 2026.
- World Health Organization (2018) Cannabidiol (CBD): critical review report. Expert Committee on Drug Dependence, fortieth meeting, Geneva, 4 to 7 June 2018. Geneva: World Health Organization. Available at: cdn.who.int (Accessed: 17 June 2026).
- Court of Justice of the European Union (2020) Judgment of 19 November 2020, B S and C A, Case C-663/18 (the Kanavape case). Luxembourg: Court of Justice of the European Union. Available at: eur-lex.europa.eu (Accessed: 17 June 2026).
- European Medicines Agency (2019) Epidyolex (cannabidiol): European public assessment report. Marketing authorisation granted by the European Commission on 23 September 2019. Amsterdam: European Medicines Agency. Available at: ema.europa.eu (Accessed: 17 June 2026).
- International Narcotics Control Board (2025) Precursors and chemicals frequently used in the illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances (E/INCB/2025/4). Vienna: International Narcotics Control Board. Available at: incb.org (Accessed: 17 June 2026).
- European Union Drugs Agency (no date) Semi-synthetic cannabinoids. Lisbon: European Union Drugs Agency. Available at: euda.europa.eu (Accessed: 17 June 2026).
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) CND decision on international control of hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) and carisoprodol enters into force. Decision 68/5, in force 6 December 2025. Vienna: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Available at: unodc.org (Accessed: 17 June 2026).
