Connect with us

Hemp

France: Council of State annuls decree banning the sale of hemp flowers

Published

em

Listen to this article
Photo: Ricardo Rocha | Cannapress

The French Council of Stateannounced today that it has annulled the decree of December 30, 2021, which prohibited the sale of hemp flowers and leaves with a THC content of less than 0,3%. The decision emphasizes that “CBD cannot be considered a narcotic”, because “it does not have psychotropic effects or cause dependence”. The advice maintains that “it has not been established that the consumption of flowers and leaves of these varieties of cannabis with low THC content entails risks to public health”, therefore considering “the general and absolute prohibition of their commercialization” to be illegal”.

In December 2021, the entire French industry linked to hemp, CBD and its commercialization was taken by surprise when the French government decided to decree that the consumption of CBD flowers derived from hemp was illegal and that they could not be marketed.

Shortly afterwards, in January 2022, and due to enormous opposition from various professionals in the sector, including farmers, the Council of State temporarily suspended the decree. Now, a year after the controversial decision, it has been definitively withdrawn from the government decree published in December 2021.

An inconsistent ban
In the decree that defined the ban on the sale of CBD flowers from hemp, the French government justified such a measure by stating that the fact that CBD flowers have the same appearance and smell as cannabis flowers with THC brought too many complications for police controls. with regard to the fight against drugs, in this case cannabis itself. The government also used the argument of the most common form of consumption of flowers, the traditional "joint", by those looking for an alternative to cannabis with THC, which remains the substance present in cannabis that makes it prohibited.

Such arguments were not enough to convince the EC. In its decision, the highest French administrative court ruled that “it has not been established that the consumption of the flowers and leaves of these cannabis varieties” whose THC content is below the legal limit of 0,3% “would entail risks for public health” . He also stated that law enforcement could easily distinguish between legal (CBD) and illegal (THC) flowers “through quick and cheap tests to identify varieties with narcotic properties”

Hemp professionals welcome EC decision
This EC decision has been long awaited by professionals in the sector. “The sale of flowers generally represents three quarters of the turnover” of the approximately two thousand specialized stores in the country”, declared Charles Morel, president of the Union of CBD Professionals, to the france info:, about two weeks ago. Today, Morel did not hide his satisfaction at the repeal of the ban.

“With this decision, an entire sector is saved. We don't understand why it was the target of a prohibitionist policy that was totally incoherent and out of touch with reality, and wanted to attack an insubstantial product. This is the consecration of the rule of law,” Morel told the USAinformations.

By taking such a decision in favor of the CBD, the French EC also dispels a legal inaccuracy that dates back to 2014, the year in which the process against a Kannavape, which at the time presented “the first electronic cigarette made from 100% legal hemp”, and which ended up winning the process in which it was the target after so much Court of Justice of the European Union, as later the Court of Cassation, decided that CBD could not be considered a narcotic product, as it had “no psychotropic or harmful effect on human health”. However, this did not stop the French government from moving forward with its decision to ban the marketing of CBD flowers in 2021. Today, it has been forced to go back on its decision.

Read the press release of the French Council of State here:

cp_fleurs_cbd_fond_web

 

________________________________________________________________________________________

 

If you like CannaReporter, please consider supporting independent journalism by making a donation on our Patreon account.

From just €3/month!

________________________________________________________________________________________

[Disclaimer: Please note that this text was originally written in Portuguese and is translated into English and other languages ​​using an automatic translator. Some words may differ from the original and typos or errors may occur in other languages.]
Click here to comment

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertising


Watch the Documentary "Patients"

Documentary Patients Laura Ramos help us grow

Mais recentes

Events1 hours ago

EVO NXT: Next Generation Products Festival returns to Malaga and Cannabis will be in the spotlight

The 2nd edition of the Business Festival for Next Generation Products, EVO NXT, returns to Malaga this...

International7 days ago

It's official: Germany is the third country in Europe to legalize the recreational use of cannabis

The Bundesrat approved today, Friday, the bill to regulate the use of cannabis for recreational purposes in the country....

BusinessCann1 weeks ago

Germany: Cannabis legalization on the brink? Bundesrat votes on bill tomorrow

Most media outlets announced the legalization of cannabis in Germany as a fait accompli, but...

National1 weeks ago

Portugal: Medicinal cannabis on Madeira Island with autonomous licensing process from the mainland

The Autonomous Region of Madeira is taking over the licensing of activities related to medicinal cannabis in the archipelago, in accordance...

International1 weeks ago

Norway: Activists send 200g of cannabis to the Prime Minister and other politicians by post

Norwegian activists from the Alliance for Human Rights-Oriented Drug Policy (AROD) sent 10 letters with 200...

Events1 weeks ago

Spain: Exponential growth of Spannabis dictates expansion to Bilbao in September

The 20th edition of Spannabis 2024, one of the oldest and largest cannabis fairs in the world, ended yesterday with...

International1 weeks ago

Morocco enters the cannabis race with the first legal cannabis harvest

The year 2023 will go down in Morocco's history as the year in which the first legal harvest of...

Hemp2 weeks ago

USA: USDA announces investment of 10 million in hemp research

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released the “Hemp Research Needs Map” and announced a...

Interviews2 weeks ago

Jacqueline Poitras: “Doctors are painfully ignorant when it comes to cannabinoids and their effects on the human body”

Founder of 'MAMAKA- Mothers for Cannabis', an association for medical cannabis patients in Greece, Jacqueline Poitras has been a...

International2 weeks ago

Understanding the UN System & Our Role at CND67 - Midterm Review

The United Nations, in Vienna, hosts annual sessions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND). These sessions provide opportunities for organizations without...