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 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
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
National Assembly member Christophe Bex hopes to spearhead efforts to legalise cannabis in France and could draft legislation aimed at doing just that
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
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
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, without any fear of punishment for working outside the law
France has no present plans to include smokable hemp products in a newly proposed inflation-linked tax on smokable tobacco
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 pass
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 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
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
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
France’s highest administrative court has temporarily and partially suspended the French decree banning the sale and consumption of CBD hemp flowers
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
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
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
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 cannabinoids
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
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
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 finance grounds
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
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
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 CBD category
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 regulatory bodies
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
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
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 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 CBD menu, plus more
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