Market & legal data analysis of the cannabis sector in Europe

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,...

German ministry punished for delay over cannabis legislation by €1m funding cut

Written by CannIntelligence | 12th January 2023

The German Ministry of Health’s budget has been slashed by €1m in a bid to put pressure on health minister Karl Lauterbach to present a draft law for the legalisation of cannabis ...

Is 2023 the year for the great leap forward on cannabis regulation?

Written by Freddie Dawson | 3rd January 2023

Will 2023 be the year that some fairly major changes start to roll in for cannabis and cannabinoids? It's possible ...

A watershed year? 2022 sees cannabis on the rise, while CBD goes downhill

Written by Freddie Dawson | 30th December 2022

This past year has seen a curious crossing of paths in the world of cannabis and cannabinoids, with concerns around CBD increasing even as many countries make moves towards the legalisation of cannabis ...

The question of semi-synthetics – HHC comes under scrutiny by EU authorities

Written by Anthony Traurig | 29th December 2022

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) has begun the process of collecting data and evaluating the risk posed by hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) and other semi-synthetic cannabinoids ...

German cannabis prescriptions strictly limited by ‘disturbing’ court ruling

Written by CannIntelligence | 28th December 2022

A decision by Germany’s Federal Social Court limiting the prescribing and insurance payment for medical cannabis has been described by a leading lawyer on cannabis issues as “disturbing” ...

‘Acute need’ – but Ukraine’s medical cannabis bill may lack required support

Written by CannIntelligence | 27th December 2022

Ukraine’s parliament will continue to consider a bill to legalise medical cannabis beyond the current legislative session because of the expected need stemming from the Russian invasion of the country ...

Once it was gone, it was gone – and it's unclear whether Aldi will restock CBD

Written by CannIntelligence | 1st December 2022

Budget supermarket chain Aldi’s CBD products are out of stock in the UK and there’s no indication of when, or indeed whether, they will be restocked ...

Victory in Antwerp confirms company’s right to sell cannabinoids across Belgium

Written by CannIntelligence | 29th November 2022

A CBD company in Belgium has proved in court that local authorities in the country do not have the right to gold-plate regulations to prohibit the sale of hemp-based cannabinoid products ...

European Court of Human Rights medical cannabis case result sets no precedent

Written by CannIntelligence | 21st November 2022

A test case has demonstrated that the ECHR doesn’t consider access to cannabis to be a universal human right, and balancing a cannabis user’s human rights with public interest is best left to sovereign states...

UK FSA novel food process can succeed with ‘supportive and sensible approach’

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 21st November 2022

A cannabis regulation lawyer believes the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the CBD sector have invested so much time, effort and money in the novel food process that it cannot be allowed to fail...

EIHA's 'reasonable daily intake' sows confusion over novel food applications

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 17th November 2022

CBD isolate producers in the UK are waiting to see whether and how toxicological data released by the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) will affect their novel food applications to the Food Standards Agency (FSA)...

More validated but no light at the end of the tunnel for Efsa’s novel food applicants

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 16th November 2022

Nearly six months after the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) put novel food assessments for cannabinoids on hold, none of the validated applicants has been able to fill the identified knowledge gaps ...

Sweden's turn to the right may have shut down hopes of liberalisation on cannabis

Written by CannIntelligence | 15th November 2022

Sweden’s general election in September was not good news for cannabis advocates, with the new right-wing bloc minority government likely to take a highly restrictive view, while cannabinoids are not high on its agenda ...

No UK novel food authorisations likely before mid-2023 – and no guarantees

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 10th November 2022

It’s unlikely that any applications for novel food authorisation of CBD products in the UK will be considered for authorisation before mid-2023 – and being on the list of validated applications is no guarantee ...

Cannabis legalisation set to come out on top no matter who wins US midterms

Written by CannIntelligence | 4th November 2022

Republicans are favoured over Democrats to take control of both chambers of US Congress in the midterm elections, but there are supporters and naysayers among both major parties when it comes to cannabis legalisation ...

Ambitious German startup puts its Signature on Ccell CBD vaping devices

Written by CannIntelligence | 3rd November 2022

German hemp supplier Signature Products is taking a step back to its roots, saying it will step up its marketing of Ccell vape devices that can be filled with CBD extracts ...

Leading Europe? Germany reveals details of plan to legalise recreational cannabis

Written by CannIntelligence | 2nd November 2022

Following an “intensive exchange with experts and interest groups”, the German government has unveiled the key points of its plan to legalise recreational cannabis ...

Austria's ‘Kafkaesque’ politics keep medical cannabis tied up in knots

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 1st November 2022

Austria’s almost non-existent regime for the use of cannabinoids in medication has been described as "a Kafkaesque nightmare" with over-officious bureaucracy putting pointless hurdles in patients' way ...

Amazon cannabinoid prohibition policy not strictly enforced on UK, US sites

Written by Freddie Dawson | 28th October 2022

Amazon still seems to be laissez-faire about enforcement of ingestible hemp-derived cannabinoid products that appear on its site – and in particular those containing intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids (IHDCs) ...

UK standards authority challenges CBD product marketing disguised as content

Written by Freddie Dawson | 28th October 2022

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has taken action on CBD product marketing, targeting a series of advertorials produced by Consumer Logic Research specifically promoting two brands ...

UK scientist says medicinal cannabis research in the country lagging behind

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 21st October 2022

The UK is lagging behind other major markets in the world on research into the benefits of medicinal cannabis, according to a scientist specialising in the area ...

Cannabis & Me – critics fear bias before major psychiatric study gets under way

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 20th October 2022

A major new study into the impact of cannabis on the brain has attracted controversy and accusations of bias from within the industry before it even begins ...

Authors of UK hemp farming report respond to criticisms of impossible goals

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 14th October 2022

The creators of a UK report on hemp that has received criticism from the industry told CBD-Intel they stand by their estimates, but it remains unclear where some of the numbers have come from ...

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 ...

Cannaray's Cellular connection creates confusing combination in cannabinoids

Written by CannIntelligence | 13th October 2022

Cellular Goods and Cannaray have announced a merger that will see Cannaray listed on the London Stock Exchange while also splitting off its CBD brands to work under a new subsidiary ...

Aurora enjoys a profitable new dawn in international medical cannabis markets

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 12th October 2022

Canadian company Aurora Cannabis has seen continued growth in its international business thanks to an increasing presence in emerging medical cannabis markets, notably Germany, the UK, Australia and Poland ...

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...

German officials contest Tilray’s report of meeting on cannabis legalisation

Written by CannIntelligence | 7th October 2022

Tilray Brands’ report of a meeting with government officials over the planned legalisation of adult-use cannabis in Germany has been questioned by some of the officials who were present ...

Italian court will hear appeal against decree limiting use of flowers and leaves

Written by CannIntelligence | 6th October 2022

A request to hear an appeal against Italy’s decree on officinal plants has been accepted by the Regional Administrative Court (TAR) of Lazio ...

Breakthrough cannabis study finds CBD can reduce psychoactive effects of THC

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 5th October 2022

A recent study has shown that CBD can reduce the psychoactive effects of THC – a discovery which could advance the clinical application of medical cannabis ...

Bermuda to keep pushing for cannabis legalisation in wake of bill denial by UK

Written by CannIntelligence | 3rd October 2022

Bermudan lawmakers are vexed that UK authorities have not granted assent for a cannabis legalisation bill in the British Overseas Territory despite other commonwealth nations with the UK monarchy as their nominal head of state...

Croatian cannabis and hemp business owners feel the ‘unfair’ weight of the law

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 30th September 2022

A Croatian hemp producer is challenging the interpretation used by law enforcement to oppose the sale of hemp flower in the country ...

Tobacco giant deepens its interest in cannabis with cash for German firm

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 29th September 2022

Tobacco giant British American Tobacco (BAT) has again bet on the cannabis industry as it looks to diversify its portfolio ...

Fresh regulation attracts international medical cannabis business to Poland

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 27th September 2022

International cannabis firms are moving in on the market for medicinal cannabis in Poland in the wake of recent regulatory change in the country ...

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 ...

HHC and other intoxicating cannabinoids move within legal limbo in Europe

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 16th September 2022

As debate over the legalisation of recreational cannabis involves a growing number of European countries, the commercial demand for legal psychoactive alternatives to controlled cannabinoid variants is on the rise ...

CBD brands hit supermarket shelves as UK market shows mainstream appeal

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 14th September 2022

Despite the challenges of the market, CBD firms appear to be setting their sights on the UK and have secured some major listings in mainstream supermarkets ...

UK startup secures $12m to Trip further into US 'next generation wellness'

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 13th September 2022

UK CBD brand Trip has secured a $12m investment to further its growth in the US and other global markets ...

Where the parties stand on cannabis ahead of Italian elections this month

Written by CannIntelligence | 12th September 2022

The right-wing coalition parties which look most likely to triumph in Italy’s coming elections take a uniformly hard line on drug policy – which could be bad news for the cannabinoids industry ...

German hemp farm raided on grounds crop exceeds country’s 0.2% THC limit

Written by CannIntelligence | 12th September 2022

More than two dozen officers carried out a surprise raid on a farm in Dithmarschen on 30th August as part of “an investigation into the joint illegal trade of large quantities of narcotics”, according to the...

Coming together over cannabis: is support becoming a bipartisan issue?

Written by Freddie Dawson | 8th September 2022

Once mainly the purview of fringe leftists, support for cannabis continues to become more of a bipartisan issue ...

A microdosing inhaler: just one of the many new innovations for psychedelics

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 26th August 2022

A new conceptual inhaler designed around the idea of controlled microdosing could eventually lead to a product capable of administering precise amounts of active ingredients such as CBD, nicotine or even psychedelics ...

New B2B platform will aim to make cannabinoids 'boring' and reliable

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 24th August 2022

A new online trading platform will soon facilitate B2B CBD transactions within the EU, filling a gap the company behind it says has so far remained almost unbridged ...

US House approves cannabis research bill but hopes for reform remain low

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 16th August 2022

Members of the US House of Representatives have approved a bill to expand and streamline research into CBD and cannabis. The bill is now heading for the Senate and is expected to reach president Joe...

Three nations aiming to lead EU states toward joined-up cannabis reforms

Written by CannIntelligence | 9th August 2022

Germany, Luxembourg and Malta have taken the first step towards working together on the legalisation and regulation of recreational cannabis, leading a wave of potential reform across the EU ...

Panel urges closer regulation as Jersey's medical cannabis industry moves ahead

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 5th August 2022

The Channel Island of Jersey is continuing to build its cannabis industry, awarding its fifth cultivation licence to a startup amid calls from officials for stricter regulation ...

A very Juicy scandal as 'e-growers' see their cannabis investments disappear

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 3rd August 2022

Scandal now surrounds the cannabis “crowdgrowing” platform Juicy Fields, which is being sued by its investors for fraud ...

Swiss CBD company takes issue with EFSA’s delay of novel food applications

Written by CannIntelligence | 1st August 2022

A Swiss CBD company has questioned the approach of European authorities in demanding further data in order to advance novel food applications, describing it as an issue that might signal the end of hemp-extracted cannabinoids...

Spain’s first medical cannabis regulation could boost sector despite restrictions

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 29th July 2022

Patients in Spain will soon be able to access cannabis in pharmacies with a medical prescription as the government is about to introduce new legislation ...

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