Towards the legalization of the CBD trade?
Audio 02:32
Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a molecule present in the hemp flower but which is not a narcotic unlike THC, also contained in this plant.
(Illustrative image) RFI / Pauline Gleize
By: Zilan Cokyigit
6 mins
Surrounded by legal uncertainty for several years, the trade in cannabidiol or CBD could be fully legalized in France.
CBD is a molecule found in the hemp flower but is not a narcotic unlike THC, also contained in this plant.
In its report delivered at the beginning of February, the information mission on the uses of cannabis proposes to relax the rules surrounding the trade in CBD products.
While awaiting the government's decision, industry players hope that these recommendations will come into force.
Publicity
In this Parisian store, don't look for CBD to smoke.
Here, cannabidiol is elevated to the rank of cosmetic art and is available in oil, cream or herbal tea.
The owner, Brice Masseix, denies any resemblance to a Dutch coffee shop.
“
We are truly a wellness boutique specializing in hemp.
On our front it is written hemp, there are no other words that are used.
We do not sell rolling papers or materials that could be used for smoking.
We have different products but at no time do we try to encourage people to consume something else.
We chose hemp as we could have chosen aloe vera or argan…
”
Using CBD, a substance derived from hemp but without psychotropic effect, as a well-being product and not as a drug: the phenomenon is exploding in France.
In a few months, nearly 400 stores like this one have opened across the country.
A boom made possible by a decision of the European Union in November 2020.
“
The European Court of Justice decided that France could not oppose the importation into its territory of products that contain CBD because it considered that CBD was not a narcotic and did not pose any problem public health,
explains Aurélien Delecroix, president of the professional hemp union.
Consequently, France could not oppose the free movement of goods and the principle of reciprocity which applies, that is to say that a product which is legally sold in a European country must be able to be in another European country.
"
Encouraging progress but considered insufficient.
Because if the sale of CBD is authorized, there is also the question of the cultivation of the plant in France.
The information mission on the uses of cannabis therefore asks that French hemp production be able to supply the CBD sector.
The goal is simple: that everything be done in France.
“
Today we find ourselves in the situation where CBD can be legally imported into France where French regulations do not yet allow farmers to
add
value to their own production,
adds Aurélien Delecroix.
There is therefore a shortfall for the French sector, which is the first in Europe.
We must react quickly since we are in a situation of unfair competition vis-à-vis other countries.
"
It is now up to the French government to look into the subject and decide.
And the economic stakes are high: according to the professional hemp union, the sector's turnover could reach one billion euros over the start-up year.
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