DHL Express wrongly categorizes CBD as medicinal cannabis.
European Union (official page - Dec 2020):
https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/news/2020/cannabidiol-cbd-is-not-considered-a-narcotic-drug-under-european-law_en
"Cannabidiol (CBD) is not considered a ‘narcotic drug’ under European law"
The Dutch Cannabis Bureau (part of the Dutch Ministry of Healthcare) explains what Medicinal cannabis is:
https://english.cannabisbureau.nl/medicinal-cannabis/types-of-medicinal-cannabis
You cannot buy it without a doctors recipe because it is medication containing THC (up to 22%). Medical cannabis is official approved medication. Cannabidiol is only a substance that is part of medicinal cannabis.
World health organization:
https://www.who.int/medicines/news/2017/WHO-recommends-most-stringent-level-int-control/en/
"Current evidence also shows that cannabidiol is not likely to be abused or create dependence as for other cannabinoids (such as Tetra Hydro Cannabinol (THC), for instance)."
Food and Drugs Administration (FDA):
https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-drug-comprised-active-ingredient-derived-marijuana-treat-rare-severe-forms
“It is THC (and not CBD) that is the primary psychoactive component of marijuana.”
https://www.fda.gov/news-events/fda-voices/better-data-better-understanding-use-and-safety-profile-cannabidiol-cbd-products
“The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (also known as the 2018 Farm Bill) removed hemp from the definition of marijuana in the Controlled Substance Act (CSA). This means that cannabis plants and derivatives that contain no more than 0.3 percent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on a dry weight basis are no longer controlled substances under the CSA.”
Consumer CBD does not contain THC. There are strict laws for this in every EU country.
DHL Express has (like many companies) an internal global security department that makes these decisions based on information they think is relevant. These are global guidelines from DHL Express and we and other customers have to follow these.
This means we will ship orders containing
CBD with a different courier without sacrificing the speed of delivery to you
as a customer.