France: Market and legal data analysis of the cannabis sector

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

France puts wheels in motion that could get CBD cosmetics banned across Europe

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 16th June 2023

France has started a process that could end with a Europe-wide ban on CBD-containing cosmetic products if an EU assessment finds them not safe for consumers’ reproductive health ...

French guidelines on CBD supplements: big deal or much ado about nothing?

Written by CannIntelligence | 6th June 2023

France has created temporary guidelines allowing CBD companies to register their products as food supplements pending authorisation under the EU’s upcoming novel foods regulation ...

The man leading political efforts to cut cannabis use in France by legalising it

Written by CannIntelligence | 14th March 2023

National Assembly member Christophe Bex hopes to spearhead efforts to legalise cannabis in France and could draft legislation aimed at doing just that ...

Switzerland’s recreational cannabis pilot projects under criticism from within

Written by CannIntelligence | 13th February 2023

Recent criticism from the Swiss canton of Bern on a pilot study to legalise and sell recreational cannabis in pharmacies will have no impact on plans to carry on with the project ...

Developing countries could get economic boost from industrial hemp, says UN

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 25th January 2023

Government and industry representatives from around the world met in Geneva last week to hear about the “significant economic opportunities” offered by industrial hemp and the need for greater clarity on its legal status ...

French court overturns government ban on hemp flowers, shops can sell again

Written by CannIntelligence | 16th January 2023

The French Council of State has definitively ruled that a 2021 government decree banning hemp flowers is illegal and must be annulled. This major decision fully authorises French shops to sell CBD products, including flowers,...

Inflation-linked French tobacco tax unlikely to apply to smokable hemp

Written by CannIntelligence | 13th October 2022

France has no present plans to include smokable hemp products in a newly proposed inflation-linked tax on smokable tobacco ...

Legalisation is ‘least bad solution’ to cannabis consumption in France

Written by CannIntelligence | 7th October 2022

The senator leading a bid to legalise recreational cannabis in France has called legalisation “the least bad solution” to addressing cannabis consumption in the country, and has said he does not expect any measure to...

French hemp industry trade association wants consortium to fill EFSA’s data gap

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 21st September 2022

A French hemp trade association believes the consortium approach applied in the initial European novel food application process could again be the solution to the requests for extra data that have stalled assessments ...

Israeli cannabis firms expand into Europe, bringing Cookies to Vienna

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 7th July 2022

Israeli cannabis firm InterCure is collaborating with US brand Cookies to launch Europe’s first flagship Cookies store in Vienna; meanwhile, Panaxia Labs exports to Germany from Malta ...

EU officially recognises first CBG-rich hemp variety among registered plants

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 13th May 2022

The EU has granted official recognition to a hemp variety rich in cannabigerol (CBG) by including a new cannabinoid strain in its database of registered plant varieties ...

Polish court decision on hemp as novel food could have big ramifications

Written by Freddie Dawson | 14th April 2022

A Polish appeals court has put forward a decision that may be out of kilter with many other interpretations of the status of hemp as a novel food ...

French government defeated in court as hemp flower sales ban is suspended

Written by CannIntelligence | 27th January 2022

France’s highest administrative court has temporarily and partially suspended the French decree banning the sale and consumption of CBD hemp flowers ...

Leading judge hears industry arguments against French ban on hemp flower sales

Written by CannIntelligence | 17th January 2022

The first public hearing has been held on the industry challenge against the French government decree confirming the continuation of the ban on selling hemp flower as an end-product ...

Industry challenge under way as France officially brings in CBD regulations at last

Written by CannIntelligence | 12th January 2022

The French CBD industry is planning to fight back against a decree that continues to deny shops the right to sell CBD flowers or hemp leaves to consumers ...

European Commission commentary on French CBD rules raises wider questions

Written by CannIntelligence | 19th November 2021

Questions on European policies banning flowers and outlining permitted THC levels in food ingredients have been raised by a commentary from the EC to a French proposal ...

Court of Cassation ruling spreads more confusion over French legal position

Written by CannIntelligence | 25th October 2021

The highest court in France has confirmed the decision made by the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) in the Kanavape case – but the decision has contributed to uncertainty over the legality of hemp-derived...

France facing legal battle over coming decree to ban the sale of CBD flowers

Written by CannIntelligence | 19th October 2021

The French ban on CBD flowers looks set to go ahead, with a decree expected to be officially published at the start of November – and an immediate legal appeal against it likely ...

Euro cross-party group to push for EU harmony on medicinal cannabis rules

Written by CannIntelligence | 12th July 2021

A new cross-party European parliamentary group wants to help patients across the European Union get better access to medical cannabis and advance the EU’s cannabis resolution of 2019 ...

Freeing the 'green pig' – moves afoot to press France to legalise cannabis

Written by CannIntelligence | 29th June 2021

France is lagging behind its neighbours on medical cannabis – the potential “green pig” of French agriculture – according to an author of a report which called for it to be legalised on health and...

Official report favours legalisation, but France is unlikely to budge on cannabis

Written by CannIntelligence | 17th June 2021

Members of the French National Assembly appear unlikely to follow the recommendations made in a recent report on recreational cannabis, despite its scathing criticism of the current harsh regime ...

France to clarify regulation of CBD hemp extracts with upcoming decree

Written by CannIntelligence | 11th June 2021

A draft ministerial decree to clarify the regulation of CBD in France is under consideration, but many in the industry are unhappy with the proposed measures ...

US market to top $3bn in two years, but Swiss remain the biggest CBD users

Written by CannIntelligence | 15th March 2021

Swiss consumers are head-for-head the biggest purchasers of CBD products, according to CBD-Intel’s 2021 market size analysis. Meanwhile, we predict big growth in a number of other markets, and a shift in the most popular...

Kanavape ruling could kick-start French CBD industry – but not everyone's happy

Written by CannIntelligence | 3rd December 2020

The decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in the Kanavape cape that CBD cannot be treated as a narcotic has been welcomed in France – though not by the official...

Government aid available to European companies hit by COVID-19 measures

Written by CannIntelligence | 28th May 2020

CBD companies based in Europe have a range of possible options for government assistance to help them through the various strictures imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic ...

EU advocate general says French ban on CBD imports may be illegal

Written by CannIntelligence | 18th May 2020

The French government’s ban on the importing of CBD products conflicts with European law on free movement of goods, EU advocate general Evgeni Tanchev says, in an opinion that could have EU-wide implications ...

With stores everywhere being forced to close, how ‘essential’ are CBD sales?

Written by Freddie Dawson | 23rd March 2020

Expected retail closures will have a significant impact on the distribution of CBD products in most major markets, according to analysis of CBD-Intel data ...

Guitar legend to launch his own CBD range: business news in brief

Written by CannIntelligence | 30th January 2020

Guitar legend Carlos Santana is teaming up with a legal cannabis company to have his own branded range of CBD; a CBD firm plans to replant burnt Australian trees, and a French restaurant offers a...

Survey reveals evidence of growth potential in French CBD market

Written by CannIntelligence | 23rd July 2019

Regular users of CBD in France are increasing their consumption, which means the French market offers great potential for growth. That’s one of the findings from research carried out by CBD-Intel ...

CBD-Intel regulatory news in brief, 17th-21st June

Written by CannIntelligence | 24th June 2019

A round-up of the week’s relevant regulatory news in the global CBD market for CBD-Intel, with updates from around the US, Belgium, France, Latvia, and Colombia ...

CBD regulatory news in brief: worldwide, 27-31st May 2019

Written by CannIntelligence | 3rd June 2019

A round-up of the week’s relevant regulatory news in the global CBD market for CBD-Intel...

CBD and cannabis news in brief: regulatory worldwide, 20-27th May 2019

Written by CannIntelligence | 27th May 2019

A round-up of the week's relevant regulatory news in the global CBD market for CBD-Intel...

CBD stakeholders join the parade at grand Paris cannabis festival

Written by CannIntelligence | 8th May 2019

Participants at the Paris 420 Festival, organised by NORML France (National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), were keen to raise public awareness of hemp’s various properties ...

CBD is a feminist issue too as women take a progressive leading role

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 1st May 2019

Women are emerging as key players in the movement to promote medical CBD: starting their own businesses, campaigning for legalisation and creating networks for future empowerment ...

First cases of CBD shops allowed to reopen, but France remains confused

Written by CannIntelligence | 27th February 2019

The French CBD market looks more promising as shops shut down last year through legal action have begun to re-open – though elsewhere in the country others are still being closed and their owners prosecuted...

Global CBD rules will get tougher, then normalise, expert predicts

Written by CannIntelligence | 20th February 2019

Regulations governing hemp-derived CBD are likely to increase sharply in the near future but then tail off as the product is integrated into general regulatory frameworks for food, cosmetics and industrial products, according to a...

Search data reveals increasing European curiosity about CBD

Written by ECigIntelligence | 26th October 2018

A rise in the number of CBD-related Google searches suggests there is growing interest in the CBD sector across Europe. ...

French warnings over ‘stores likely to be selling illegal products’

Written by David Palacios | 17th August 2018

Judicial bodies in France have issued statements clarifying the national legal framework for products containing cannabidiol (CBD) and asked local enforcement authorities to ensure compliance with current legislation ...

Confusion reigns in France, under a hostile and muddled government

Written by CannIntelligence | 14th August 2018

Regulation of CBD in France remains unclear, with a variety of potentially conflicting rulings leading to confusion and French companies being discouraged from entering a new and beleaguered market ...

France adopts zero tolerance approach to THC in vaping products

Written by CannIntelligence | 14th June 2018

The French government has moved to clear up a previous grey area in the regulation of CBD-containing e-liquids, stating that no trace of THC will be allowed in any product for sale ...

French firm aims to roll out its nicotine dosage device in Europe and US

Written by Freddie Dawson | 2nd October 2017

Enovap, an innovative French hardware manufacturer, has announced plans to move into the US market, where it hopes to apply its technology to medicinal cannabis use ...

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