France: Legislative turmoil curbs the growth of the French CBD market

On January 24, 2022 the French State Council provisionally overruled the December 2021 ministerial order banning the sale of raw CBD hemp flowers and leaves. The court noted that the flowers and leaves of cannabis sativa L. with a THC content of less than 0.3 percent were “devoid of narcotic properties” and could therefore be marketed in France. As France’s convoluted history with CBD continues, many French hemp producers remain in limbo. French regulations continue to discourage local production and the emergence of a sustainable and competitive French industry is compromised.