Market & legal data analysis of the cannabis sector in Europe

Global debate on HHC regulation heats up ahead of UN meeting on narcotic drugs

Written by CannIntelligence | 22nd January 2025

As the 68th session of the United Nations (UN) Commission on Narcotic Drugs approaches in March 2025, the international debate over the regulation of hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) continues to gain momentum ...

Germany’s 2025 elections: cannabis legalisation and coalition scenarios

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 16th January 2025

As Germany heads towards its national elections on 23rd February, cannabis legalisation has emerged as one of the most divisive and closely watched issues on the political stage ...

How Italy’s ban on driving with any THC in the body could affect the hemp industry

Written by CannIntelligence | 13th January 2025

Under a new law, cannabis users driving on Italian roads could find themselves in legal trouble when stopped by the authorities, even if they are not under the influence at the time ...

How did we do? CannIntelligence’s predictions for 2024 under review

Written by Freddie Dawson | 31st December 2024

We look back at predictions CannIntelligence published at the start of 2024 to see how well we did in calling events that would occur in the cannabis sector throughout the year ...

Luxembourg to halt high-THC cannabis flower prescriptions by January 2025

Written by CannIntelligence | 30th December 2024

As of 1st January 2025, eligible patients in Luxembourg will no longer be able to receive prescriptions for dried cannabis flower with a high THC content ...

Recreational cannabis plans dashed, medical and IHDCs on the up in 2024

Written by Freddie Dawson | 20th December 2024

On the surface, 2024 could seem like a disappointing year for commercial cannabinoids, but scratch the surface and it really was not all that bad ...

Allowed levels of THC in UK CBD products to be much lower than Home Office limit

Written by Freddie Dawson | 16th December 2024

Permitted THC levels in CBD products in the UK will be below Home Office drug law levels, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), though a specific amount has not been announced ...

UK FSA takes another step towards first approvals of ingestible CBD products

Written by Freddie Dawson | 13th December 2024

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) board met on 11th December to discuss a recent report on progress towards approval of an ingestible CBD product in the country ...

CBD firm founder’s personal post deemed an unauthorised health claim by UK ASA

Written by Freddie Dawson | 13th November 2024

Even the most general of positive statements can be construed as a health claim, according to the latest CBD ruling from the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ...

UK NHS study first to test CBD and THC drugs together in treatment of epilepsy

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 30th October 2024

Two CBD- and THC-based drugs to treat child epilepsy will be tested on 500 patients countrywide in the UK next year in a trial by researchers at University College London and Great Ormond Street Hospital...

Medical cannabis organisation in Spain on first draft law: it won’t help patients

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 14th October 2024

Two years past the deadline, Spain finally has a medical cannabis draft regulation, but restrictions in the bill make it so challenging for patients to access medication that they wonder if it would even help...

Under the new European Commission, who will mind health and food safety?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 30th September 2024

Some fear healthcare and food safety will not be among the main concerns of the next European Commission after the Commission president unveiled the new commissioners’ respective tasks ...

UK ASA says no to CBD web guidance on under-age use and maximum daily dose

Written by Freddie Dawson | 20th September 2024

CBD company websites must follow UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) guidelines – even though they are recommendations only – as demonstrated by two new rulings from the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) ...

Brazil becomes top market for Colombia’s cannabis exports amid regulatory shifts

Written by CannIntelligence | 13th September 2024

In 2023, nearly a third – around $3.4m – of Colombia's total cannabis exports went to Brazil, driven by regulatory shifts and Colombia’s determination to dominate the international cannabis market ...

Could the Czech government be out of step with its own anti-addiction plan?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 5th September 2024

Just over a year after the Czech government unveiled a new, ambitious action plan to fight addictions, doubts are being raised over the government’s alignment with its own declared war on addictions ...

Epidiolex misses trial’s efficacy goal in Japan as it aims for drug authorisation

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 28th August 2024

Clinical trials on CBD-based medical drug Epidiolex missed their main goal of registering a significant reduction in the frequency of seizures experienced by patients in Japan, based on the results reported by manufacturer Jazz Pharmaceuticals...

Increase in prescriptions of unlicensed medical cannabis sparks concern in UK

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 26th August 2024

Unlicensed medical cannabis prescriptions in the UK private medical sector have increased by nearly 120% between 2022 and 2023, raising concerns in the healthcare industry over prescribers’ practices ...

Chief research officer shares equation for success in developing next-gen products

Written by CannIntelligence | 23rd August 2024

Businesses that lead product innovation with what the consumer wants will be one step ahead when it comes to taking a next-generation product to market – particularly when making PMTAs in the US ...

Cannabinoid and vape brands’ joint affair sparks surprise interest from Middle East

Written by Freddie Dawson | 16th August 2024

Executives were taken aback by the enthusiasm vendors showed for a nicotine vape brand in Dubai with a US West Coast theme, even though it involves a product that the UAE only recently legalised ...

Not your usual partnership between cannabinoid brand and vaping company

Written by Freddie Dawson | 9th August 2024

Vaping company Ispire has signed a 30-year global licensing agreement with Hidden Hills Club, a cannabinoid operation with wider lifestyle ambitions that will lead to the creation of Hidden Hills branded nicotine vaping products ...

Could Italy’s latest attempt at banning hemp be the one that hits its mark?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 8th August 2024

After a few back-and-forths, Italian authorities may actually kill the country’s CBD sector by simply passing a minor amendment to a major soon-to-be-approved bill, banning hemp flower and its extracts regardless of their THC content...

Italian amendment reintroduced that could leave CBD, hemp sector in ruins

Written by CannIntelligence | 6th August 2024

The proposed and withdrawn amendment to ban CBD products in Italy has reappeared as part of a bill aimed at enhancing public safety and combating crime ...

Czech government struggles to push through cannabis legalisation bill

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 2nd August 2024

The long-awaited submission of a Czech government draft bill for the regulation of recreational cannabis was not received favourably by conservative representatives, leading to a discussion focused on self-cultivation only ...

Germany’s cannabis clubs are now allowed to operate, but are they really?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 19th July 2024

On 1st July, cannabis clubs became allowed to operate under Germany’s new cannabis law, but this doesn’t mean that even the first already-licensed club will actually be able to start operations anytime soon ...

Germany inaugurates its very own cannabis club system: will it work?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 18th July 2024

The first cannabis club in Germany may soon start operating after receiving the first cultivation licence under the country’s new cannabis regulation ...

Germany expected to eliminate hemp ‘intoxication clause’ from cannabis law

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 7th June 2024

An announced withdrawal of a law clause stating that the commercial use of industrial hemp must exclude “the abuse of intoxication” could have a significant impact on the German cannabis industry if approved ...

Germany set to introduce HHC ban, but other semi-synthetics may take its place

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 6th June 2024

HHC is likely to become illegal very soon in Germany, as the country’s Federal Council prepares to pass a government decree on the subject on 14th June ...

Italy’s right-wing government may end up banning hemp, putting a sector at risk

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 31st May 2024

Italy may soon ban hemp flowers and hemp flower extracts with a THC content of less than 0.2%, as the country’s far-right government takes a conservative stance on cannabis ...

Contamination and adulteration of vape products: how serious is the problem?

Written by CannIntelligence | 27th May 2024

The recent discovery of the illicit animal tranquilliser xylazine in cannabis vapes raises concerns about harmful contaminants. How do these substances end up in vaping products? ...

The long road to EFSA authorisation for CBD as novel food in the European Union

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 20th May 2024

In June 2022, the European Food Safety Authority broke some very bad news to CBD companies applying for their products to be authorised as novel food in the European Union ...

UK FSA novel food committee gives CBD brands first positive safety assessments

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 6th May 2024

UK-based CBD brands Cannaray and Pureis are the first to obtain a positive safety assessment from the Food and Standards Agency (FSA) Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes ...

Germany’s cannabis law could open doors for foreign businesses to set up in Europe

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 23rd April 2024

As Germany becomes the first country in mainland Europe to partially legalise adult-use cannabis, investors from outside the continent may want to establish a presence in the European market now and wait for opportunities ...

All eyes on Germany for legalisation – but is that really the right place to be looking?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 23rd April 2024

Germany enforced mainland Europe’s first adult-use cannabis regulation on 1st April, but long before that the country had captured the attention of the international cannabis sector ...

The uncertain fate of IHDCs in Europe: could a general ban be on the horizon?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 12th April 2024

In this part of a series of articles celebrating the tenth anniversary of Tamarind Intelligence, we look at how the landscape of intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids (IHDCs) across Europe has changed over the years ...

Germany enforces partial recreational cannabis law after ditching last obstacle

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 29th March 2024

Germany agrees on partial recreational cannabis legalisation, after fears that the enforcement of its already approved regulation law would be delayed beyond the 1st April set date ...

German regulation seen as a beacon of hope during Barcelona’s cannabis week

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 21st March 2024

The international cannabis sector wrapped up its yearly gathering in Barcelona with all eyes on Germany’s upcoming regulation and the contradiction of host country Spain still without one ...

Czech Republic bans semi-synthetics amid debate over cannabis regulation

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 15th March 2024

Shortly after drafting its first proposal on cannabis regulation, the Czech government has banned semi-synthetic cannabinoids HHC, HHC acetate (HHC-O) and tetrahydrocannabiforol (THCP) ...

Barcelona prepares to host industry and consumers at its 2024 ‘cannabis week’

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 7th March 2024

In just a few days, the global cannabis sector will gather again in Barcelona for what has become informally known, for some years now, as the city’s cannabis week ...

Still weeds to wade through as Germany passes recreational cannabis legislation

Written by Freddie Dawson | 26th February 2024

Germany has successfully passed a law legalising the recreational use of cannabis, which could make it the first mainland EU member state to successfully apply a regulatory framework to the sale of recreational cannabis ...

UK ASA ruling on Supreme CBD social media posts: that’s advertising all right

Written by Freddie Dawson | 22nd February 2024

If you get paid for increasing sales of a product, you’re promoting that product. That seems like a simple enough concept, yet it’s one that, according to the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), influencers and...

The rise of cannabis clubs in Europe – the grassroots model regulators are adopting

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 12th February 2024

The cannabis social club model is now being incorporated by multiple European regulators. Born and developed outside a legal framework, it originated as an attempt to regulate cannabis production and consumption ...

Spain’s medical cannabis regulation is coming soon, but was it worth the wait?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 30th January 2024

Spain will soon have a long-overdue regulation of medical cannabis in place. This may be good news for the sector, but will the upcoming law measure up to industry and patients’ expectations? ...

Hollowed-out draft of Czech regulation leaves room for improvement, say critics

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 17th January 2024

The Czech government’s newly presented, much-awaited proposal on cannabis regulation falls short of industry expectations, although activists believe there is still room for improving the initial draft ...

What’s in store for cannabis regulation? Looking at 2024 with cautious optimism

Written by Freddie Dawson | 10th January 2024

Cannabis rather than hemp will see the primary regulatory changes in 2024, CannIntelligence predicts, with moves coming in the US, Thailand, Germany and France, among others ...

Is cannabis regulation finally on the horizon under Spain’s ‘new’ government?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 5th January 2024

Optimism over possible regulation of cannabis in Spain has increased as the new ruling coalition has shown some potential for getting back to work on the process ...

Why Austria is unlikely to follow its neighbours in legalising cannabis

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 2nd November 2023

While its neighbours Germany and the Czech Republic continue to move closer towards legalising recreational cannabis, Austria appears to be lagging behind. The governing People’s Party is firmly against the idea ...

Poland’s next coalition government may take a more liberal stance on cannabis

Written by CannIntelligence | 27th October 2023

A coalition of centre-right, liberal, and left-wing forces is the most likely to form a new government in Poland before the end of the year, following elections held on 15th October ...

How could a new government affect cannabinoid policy in the Netherlands?

Written by CannIntelligence | 17th October 2023

The nearly 18m people of the Netherlands face uncertainty following the collapse of the government this summer. The Cabinet is currently overseeing the nation with a “caretaker” status until the 22nd November general election ...

EIHA and German hemp organisations urge government to fine-tune legislation

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 3rd October 2023

As the German government pushes ahead with its work creating a new legal framework for cannabis in the country, hemp and cannabis associations are urging politicians to fine-tune the current draft of the legislation ...

Italy’s classification of CBD extracts as pharmaceuticals riles cannabis firms

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 6th September 2023

Cannabis companies in Italy are opposing a government decree that will become effective on 20th September and may outlaw CBD oils for oral use in the country ...

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