Market & legal data analysis of the cannabis sector in Europe

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 ...

Malta's cannabis bill faced a long process but promises much for the future

Written by CannIntelligence | 7th January 2022

The dust is starting to settle and the initial excitement – or even hype – around Malta becoming the first EU country to legalise recreational cannabis in some form is starting to fade ...

Picking the right variety – what seeds are permitted and which grows best where?

Written by CannIntelligence | 31st December 2021

Desired end product and environmental factors are the two things best kept in mind when considering hemp varieties for different countries ...

Guidelines on real world data could bring cannabinoid drugs to UK patients sooner

Written by Freddie Dawson | 30th December 2021

New guidance from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on the use of real word data and evidence to support clinical trials could help cannabinoid products gain approval ...

CBD-Intel's crystal ball reveals possible intoxicating prospects for the year ahead

Written by Freddie Dawson | 29th December 2021

“Intoxicating” will be the word to watch for and THC will be the main driver for developments in 2022, CBD-Intel predicts ...

British Cannabis to manufacture Elixinol for UK and EU after slip-up on novel food

Written by Freddie Dawson | 28th December 2021

Elixinol will continue to be produced for the UK under a licensing agreement with British Cannabis despite having pulled out of the UK and European markets after missing the boat on novel food applications ...

How well did we do? CBD-Intel’s predictions for 2021 reviewed

Written by Freddie Dawson | 28th December 2021

CBD-Intel was on point in its 2021 predictions. Much like the preceding year, we believed 2021 would largely be defined more by what did not happen than what did ...

So it’s farewell to 2021 – a year that promised little and delivered less

Written by Freddie Dawson | 27th December 2021

If 2020 was the year in the waiting-room then 2021 was perhaps the year of the unfulfilled hype. As predicted, there was little movement in many of the major issues controlling the CBD market ...

British CBD marketplace Mellow ready to take on the US while expanding at home

Written by CannIntelligence | 23rd December 2021

The acquisition of Mellow by US cannabis and CBD investment firm Thought Leaders will position the UK-based CBD marketplace to open in the US and bolster its position in Asia ...

UK government advisors reject 'one limit fits all' rule for THC in CBD products

Written by Freddie Dawson | 22nd December 2021

The UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has recommended the government not to set one single concentration limit for THC that would apply to all CBD products ...

Omura to take its heated Flowersticks international, starting in Switzerland

Written by CannIntelligence | 21st December 2021

The US-based heat-not-burn (HnB) hemp company Omura will announce a new set of target country markets in the first quarter of 2022, starting with Switzerland as a bridge into Europe ...

What's next as Malta becomes first EU state to legalise recreational cannabis?

Written by Freddie Dawson | 20th December 2021

Malta becoming the first EU country to legalise recreational cannabis in some form will still have a commercial impact even though the regulations do not create a retail market ...

UK health trust teams up with Awakn to investigate psychedelic treatment

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 13th December 2021

The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has expressed some interest in the viability of psychedelics as a course of treatment ...

Growing investor interest sparks more funding for psychedelic clinical trials

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 10th December 2021

The potential of psychedelics to treat a range of mental health conditions continues to attract increasing levels of funding for clinical trials as firms work towards bringing them into mainstream medical use ...

What do Luxembourg and Malta's legal cannabis plans mean in practice?

Written by Freddie Dawson | 9th December 2021

Will proposed plans to legalise recreational cannabis in Luxembourg and Malta change much in terms of EU business? ...

Luxembourg leads Europe on the road to legalisation of recreational cannabis

Written by CannIntelligence | 6th December 2021

Luxembourg will become the first European country to establish a legal regulatory framework allowing adults to grow and use cannabis for personal use and to trade seeds ...

European Council approves increased 0.3% THC limit for 2023 in new CAP

Written by Freddie Dawson | 2nd December 2021

Hemp varieties with up to 0.3% THC will soon be able to be added to the European common variety list following a vote by the European Council to adopt an EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)...

Novel food process 'has trapped Britain's CBD industry in a frustrating limbo'

Written by CannIntelligence | 2nd December 2021

A market that cannot innovate stagnates – and that is exactly what is happening with CBD in the UK because of delays in the novel food application process which mean companies cannot introduce any new...

Little stands in the way of Germany legalising recreational cannabis by 2024

Written by CannIntelligence | 30th November 2021

The incoming German ‘traffic light’ coalition government’s promise to legalise recreational cannabis for adults puts it on track to be the first major European nation to take such action ...

New German coalition plans to legalise cannabis – but when will sales begin?

Written by Freddie Dawson | 25th November 2021

The newly elected German governing coalition has followed through on pre-election promises and included a plan for cannabis legalisation in its coalition agreement – but many questions remain to be answered ...

Hempro returns to German courts in bid to overturn rejection of hemp imports

Written by CannIntelligence | 24th November 2021

A German hemp producer and retailer is going to court hoping to overturn a rejection of its application to import hemp products from Austria. The new German government may pre-empt matters if it makes cannabis...

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 ...

Switzerland heads towards cannabis legalisation, but some hurdles remain

Written by CannIntelligence | 19th November 2021

Switzerland inched closer towards legalising recreational and medical cannabis as a committee of the upper parliamentary chamber backed a proposal to regulate the market ...

Russia plans to bring light to the grey area of industrial hemp definitions

Written by CannIntelligence | 18th November 2021

The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade is planning to clarify the definitions of definition of industrial hemp and the varieties that can be cultivated for industrial purposes by March/April 2022 ...

eBay prepares to take on Amazon with the launch of UK trial of CBD sales

Written by Freddie Dawson | 10th November 2021

eBay is set to launch a CBD trial, sources tell CBD-Intel. The internet marketplace that built its name as an auction site is said to be anticipating a November start for its UK...

Two studies seek to show the benefits of cannabinoids for liver health

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 5th November 2021

A research team at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) in the Netherlands recently launched a three-year study into whether medicinal cannabis oil can help to regress liver-cancer tumours ...

The suspense continues, still with no end in sight to the UK's novel food saga

Written by Freddie Dawson | 3rd November 2021

October has ended and November begun with still no further update from the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) on the ongoing novel food application...

Concerns arise as Italian study finds pesticides and metals in hemp flowers

Written by CannIntelligence | 29th October 2021

Another study, this time from Italy, has found potentially dangerous levels of heavy metals and pesticides in CBD products. Researchers were worried by the results and asked regulators and legislators to act ...

Italian cannabis referendum looks likely to go ahead despite teething troubles

Written by CannIntelligence | 27th October 2021

Italian campaigners believe they have done enough to secure a referendum on the legalisation of cannabis cultivation for personal use and the decriminalisation of possession ...

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 ...

UK advertising watchdog raps shopping channel over CBD firm's health claims

Written by Freddie Dawson | 18th October 2021

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has held a shopping infomercial channel to account for claims made for a CBD product being marketed during one of its shows ...

High Tide enters UK market with £9m purchase of Scotland's Blessed CBD

Written by Freddie Dawson | 11th October 2021

The Canadian cannabis retailer High Tide has made a move into the UK CBD sector by purchasing 80% of the Scottish CBD company Blessed CBD for just over £9m ...

German medical cannabis imports rise but no sign of domestic production yet

Written by CannIntelligence | 8th October 2021

German imports of medical cannabis flowers rose by 80% in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period of 2021, but hopes of establishing local production were...

Grow Group hits its crowd-funding target inside an hour – and keeps on going

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 28th September 2021

A UK cannabis firm reached its minimum crowd-funding target of £3.2m ($4.4m) in just one hour. And the investment keeps on coming ...

Finnish company seeks €3m Series A funding as organic mushrooms grow fast

Written by Freddie Dawson | 24th September 2021

A Nordic company making functional ingredients from mushrooms is looking for €3m in Series A investment in order to scale up its production capacity to meet demand ...

Lidl has a change of heart, removing edible hemp products from its shelves

Written by CannIntelligence | 21st September 2021

Discount supermarket chain Lidl has removed foods containing hemp from its stores in Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands amid concerns that the products contain excessive levels of THC ...

Cleared CBD restaurant owner: 'I hope my case makes UK police think again'

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 20th September 2021

The long-running saga of one of the first UK police raids on a retail location selling hemp products has finally ended after a jury took just 30 minutes to reach a non-guilty verdict on drug...

GenCanna's latest white label purchase deepens penetration of UK and Europe

Written by Freddie Dawson | 15th September 2021

GenCanna continues to bet on the future of UK bulk and white label CBD products with the purchase of another company specialising in those areas ...

Beverage brands still searching for the right solution to their drink problem

Written by CannIntelligence | 9th September 2021

CBD beverages continue to be a popular niche sub-category for producers, with brands still experimenting and bringing out new variations. Some significant regulatory concerns remain for the mid/long-term. Neither the US, UK or EU has...

Approved by EU – so why was Finola hemp tested and banned in Poland?

Written by CannIntelligence | 2nd September 2021

Crops of a hemp variety found by Polish authorities to be over the THC limit should never have been tested and regulators are refusing to say why they were, the creator of the variety alleges...

Horse sense or dog trial? The science and law behind CBD petcare products

Written by CannIntelligence | 1st September 2021

CBD pet products remain in a grey area in terms of both legality and effectiveness – but there have been some attempts in both to shed light into the darkness ...

Legislators propose bringing Polish hemp laws in line with other EU states

Written by CannIntelligence | 20th August 2021

Lawmakers from Poland’s ruling party are among those who have submitted two bills to parliament hoping to change the country’s industrial hemp growing and medical cannabis legislation ...

Testing the testers: UK and US CBD testing labs go under the microscope

Written by CannIntelligence | 13th August 2021

A recent ring trial assessment of the lab performances and methods for measuring CBD in commercial products has given some good news to the industry ...

Spain's PSOE has a change of heart over legalising medical cannabis

Written by CannIntelligence | 11th August 2021

Members of Spain’s ruling party are warming to the idea of legalising medicinal cannabis just months after claiming scientific evidence was insufficient to support such an initiative ...

Firm announces mushroom tinctures to launch in UK under Bob Marley brand

Written by CannIntelligence | 9th August 2021

A range of Bob Marley themed functional mushroom tinctures will soon debut in the UK under the Marley One brand ...

Public health insurance is driving growth of the German medical cannabis market

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 3rd August 2021

Public health insurance reimbursements and no defined list of indications for medical cannabis have helped the German medical cannabis market start to realise its massive potential ...

London firm signs deals to grow cannabis in North Macedonia for medical use

Written by Freddie Dawson | 30th July 2021

London-based AltoVerde has chosen North Macedonia as its site for growing medical cannabis to be sold throughout European markets ...

New chair abstains as US Federal Trade Commission confirms Kushly penalty

Written by Freddie Dawson | 28th July 2021

A CBD company’s punishment by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for making false or misleading health claims has been confirmed ...

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