Last updated: October 2026
The FSA advises healthy adults to have no more than 10mg of CBD a day. It’s precautionary advice, not a legal limit: it isn’t against the law to take more. The FSA set it in October 2023, replacing its earlier 70mg figure, based on liver and thyroid effects seen at much higher doses and gaps in long-term safety data.
Below: where the 10mg figure comes from, why it changed, what it means in drops and capsules, our view, and who shouldn’t take CBD at all.
Is 10mg the legal limit?
No. The 10mg figure is consumer advice from the FSA. There’s no law limiting how much CBD an adult can take. What is regulated is what businesses sell: CBD food products must be linked to an application on the FSA’s public list, and as products are authorised, their labels will need to show the amount per serving and warnings based on the 10mg figure. See the FSA’s first CBD approvals explained and is CBD legal in the UK?
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View productHow the advice has changed
| Date | FSA position |
|---|---|
| February 2020 | Healthy adults advised to take no more than 70mg a day |
| October 2023 | Advice lowered to 10mg a day, based on a joint review by its novel foods and toxicity committees |
| September 2026 | The FSA board recommended the first CBD product authorisations, at 10mg a day |
Why 10mg?
The FSA’s scientific committees found signs of liver effects in people from about 5mg per kg of body weight a day, roughly 350mg for a 70kg adult, plus possible thyroid effects. Because long-term human data is missing, they applied large safety margins and arrived at a provisional acceptable daily intake of 10mg for a healthy adult. The figure was worked out for highly pure CBD (98% or more). See is CBD bad for your liver?
What 10mg looks like in drops and capsules
| Product | CBD per drop or capsule | For about 10mg |
|---|---|---|
| 10ml oil, 500mg (5%) | About 2.5mg per drop | 4 drops |
| 10ml oil, 1000mg (10%) | About 5mg per drop | 2 drops |
| 10ml oil, 2000mg (20%) | About 10mg per drop | 1 drop |
| 30ml Evolabs oil, 1000mg | About 1.7mg per drop | 6 drops |
| Broad Spectrum CBD Capsules | 10mg per capsule | 1 capsule (10mg version) |
Drop sizes vary slightly, so these are approximate. Add up CBD from all products you use in a day. Full chart for every strength: how much CBD to take. See also CBD oil strengths explained.
Our view
The FSA’s 10mg a day figure is precautionary advice rather than a legal limit, set while longer-term safety research continues. At Evopure we think it is a very cautious figure, and many adults use more. If you go above it, increase slowly, and check with your GP or pharmacist first if you take any medication.
That’s our opinion, not the FSA’s. The liver effects behind the advice were seen at doses tens of times higher, but nobody yet knows the long-term effects of daily use, so starting low and increasing slowly is sensible. Our CBD products are on the FSA public list, linked to validated applications RP438, RP821 and RP47.
Who shouldn’t take CBD
The FSA advises these groups not to take CBD at all:
- children and under-18s
- people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or trying to conceive. See CBD in pregnancy
- people taking any medication, unless a doctor agrees. See CBD and medication
We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Related guides
- What to check before increasing your CBD dose.
- If you prefer capsules, see how to choose the best CBD capsules in the UK, including what a 1000mg tub works out at per capsule.
- Our guide to when to take CBD oil shows how to split 10mg a day between morning and evening.
- The FSA’s advice for anyone on medication includes antibiotics. See can you take CBD with antibiotics?
- For what tends to happen above it, see our guide to CBD side effects and how dose changes them.
- Wondering whether a low dose is why you feel nothing? See why isn’t CBD working for me?
- For what is known about kidney safety specifically, see CBD and your kidneys.
- For the side effects seen in trials and the doses involved, see CBD effects and side effects explained.
- Many CBD cans were above 10mg when the advice changed; read do Trip drinks contain CBD? for how drinks have changed since.
- Retailers reacted fast when the advice changed; read how Holland and Barrett handled the 10mg advice.
- Knowing your daily amount also helps you judge offers: see are Black Friday CBD deals worth it?
- See how one big retailer handles the advice in Boots CBD and the 10mg advice.
- High-strength Love Hemp CBD oils and the 10mg advice.
- For how one brand’s gummies and drops compare with 10mg, see Cannaray CBD gummies and oils.
- With very strong oils, one drop can exceed 10mg: see the strongest CBD oils and the 10mg advice.
- A stronger bottle doesn’t mean taking more: see what 2000mg CBD oil means per drop.
- The FSA figure is about CBD you swallow; balms come under cosmetics rules. See CBD balm UK: how it works and how to use it.
- CBD drinks count too: a 10mg CBD tea bag on its own matches the FSA figure, so add up every source in a day.
- To compare oils by how many drops make 10mg, see our guide to the best CBD oil in the UK, which sets out drops per 10mg, lab reports and FSA list status for 11 UK brands.
- Ready-made CBD coffees can go over 10mg in a single serving: compare them in CBD coffee UK.
- Our guide to how to take CBD oil has a drops-per-10mg table for every Evopure strength.
- Many gummies are well above 10mg each: Supreme CBD’s gummies range from 14mg to 68mg a sweet.
- Supermarket CBD drinks and gummies often hold 10mg a serving: see CBD at Tesco, Asda and Superdrug.
- A single gummy can be well over 10mg: see how Vibes CBD gummies compare with the FSA figure.
- One Goodrays can already holds 10mg; see Goodrays CBD drinks.
Sources 4
- FSA. Cannabidiol (CBD) guidance.
- ACNFP and COT. Provisional CBD acceptable daily intake, 2023.
- FSA. CBD products list.
- Florian J et al. Cannabidiol and liver enzyme level elevations in healthy adults: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Intern Med, 2025.
