The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has ruffled a few feathers by changing its criteria for allowing products to stay on the market. Instead of requiring a validated novel food submission, it now only requires...
A drop in the cost of bulk CBD has not yet been wholly reflected in falling CBD product prices – but are we about to witness a perfect storm for a race to the...
There’s been some worry that the eventual list of brands with a novel food application validated by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) will reveal commercially sensitive information such as which brands are currently contracted...
The FSA has confirmed to CBD-Intel that it has already validated at least one application with an updated list to be published in April. This represents a significantly quicker turnaround than many anticipated, though Pureis...
There is a chance that enforcement priorities could change under new appointments to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by the Biden administration. Two commissioners – one of which is staying on to work as part of...
The Home Office has not changed licensing requirements for importers of CBD into the UK. The minister for policing, Christopher “Kit” Malthouse, has requested an updated recommendation from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs...
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has stated that it is in contact with other similar agencies such as the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK, but only specified that it would not treat applications that...
The Portman Group’s first decision on a complaint regarding a CBD product has gone largely unreported but could have a very significant impact on that part of the market. The voluntary alcohol industry regulator has said...
The decision – which should be noted is still only preliminary, though almost certainly to be confirmed with subsequent updating of the cosmetics ingredients (CosIng) database – should allow a wider range of cosmetic products...
The top-line answer is that it is wholly neither. There are elements of both in any position taken on the news. BAT’s entrance into the market with its vaping product under the Vuse brand (coming in three...
Canopy Growth’s quick action – filing a suit against GW Pharmaceuticals the day the patent was issued – coupled with the short time-frame for validity has left many worried that the company could go on...
President elect Joe Biden still looks to be somewhat reluctant to too closely embrace cannabis reform as an issue. But effective control of the senate through victories by Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in special...
It seems many of the firms CBD-Intel has talked to see a similar story for January sales, focused on resolutions or upticks in health and wellness – as was predicted for the holidays sales period...
The Court of Justice of the European Union’s (CJEU) decision in the Kanavape case will have a tremendous impact on the CBD industry in the European Union (EU). However, the breadth of its impact is not yet...
The announcement is a full reversal from the EC on a position that many found surprising in the first place. It marks a stellar period for the regulation of CBD and other cannabinoids with major...
Overall it seems the industry – particularly in Europe – is not expecting much from Black Friday sales. European companies appear to consider CBD products more as health products that are requirement purchases throughout the year as opposed to lifestyle products...
How important is the CJEU decision on the Kanavape case? The judgement in favour of CBD from the Courts of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) will almost certainly have significant long-term consequences for the CBD...
It looks like a clean sweep for pro-cannabis referendums in US states. But much work will still need to be done with state legislatures having to design and pass regulatory structures for each...
In short – not a lot in the short-term. The vote in favour of a 0.3% THC limit by the European Parliament (EP) is only the first step in a long process towards actually putting such a...
There are still quite a few unanswered questions regarding the novel food application process under the FSA. Fortunately the requirement of having toxicological data...
The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act was, of course, always more about cannabis than hemp-derived CBD specifically. And, as previously stated, its chances of passing were slim to...
There does not seem to be much point in continuing to try to force through bills – particularly given that the Republican-controlled senate and presidency opposes any measures and the limited timeframe before the end of the...
What should the industry make of the recent paper from 11 industry associations putting forward a unified position on the issues surrounding the potential for CBD to be considered a narcotic? ...
First it's important to note that the DEA proposals are only in a draft form and are open to comment until 20th October. They have already received a large number of comments, the majority of...
The immediate impact of the decision is a reduction in certainty for CBD firms - not something they need at a time of significantly heightened uncertainty in other...
Canopy, the Canadian cannabinoid company, has continued to commit heavily to BioSteel, a sports nutrition company in which Canopy now owns the majority share....
The opinion (which is not yet set by the EC but appears to be the way the organisation is thinking) is based on a literal reading of the 1961 UN Narcotics...
Although opponents of the ban had their positive result overthrown by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the decision is not as bad as a headline might...
Enforcement activity against food, drink and dietary supplement products placed on the market containing CBD continues despite the inability of companies to proceed with novel food applications due to the EC's questions over whether CBD constitutes...
Several major developments have all happened at the same time for novel foods. Perhaps most importantly, one of the European Commission's departments - the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety - has said it is holding...
CBD companies are in a fairly unique place in that they cannot use their primary function – health and wellness – to advertise their brands. And this is not without reason – as shown by...
Subscription services do offer potential benefits to CBD companies. Those benefits come with risks, which may be managed. But the key question for anyone interested in creating such a service is whether they prefer to market...
The suspension of EasyJoint’s commercial activities and website pending a trial in the Italian province of Parma demonstrates that enforcement authorities intend to continue to police CBD retailers. In particular, it seems the Parma prosecutor’s office took exception...
Businesses in the US should be aware of ongoing proceedings in bankruptcy courts related to companies that have been involved in cannabis. Bankruptcy filings and proceedings are unavailable to these companies as it remains an...
France cannot stop the import of full spectrum CBD oils extracted from any part of the plant, including flowers, from other EU member states UNLESS it has scientifically established that CBD has psychotropic or toxic effects, and considered whether there were no alternative less-burdensome...
The answer is not quite clear. A lot of companies reported no drop or even increases in sales compared to the previous year. There could be several reasons for this. Firstly, all cannabinoid-related products are...
The ongoing pandemic lockdown looks to be ending in some areas with easing of measures in numerous jurisdictions. But the months lost – and continued social distancing measures which will not be entirely lifted in...
CBD businesses in the US that have seen business impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and associated social measures could be eligible for a variety of state aid programmes. Extra funding for the programmes was just approved...
Closures of non-essential retail will be far and away the largest factor impacting on CBD markets across the globe. It is estimated that up to 90% of offline sales in markets such as the UK...
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