Business of Cannabis
French trade groups are seeking to overturn the ban on the sale of CBD food supplements in an attempted re-run of the successful 2022 removal of the ban on the sale of flowers.
The three main trade groups representing the €200m French industry are set to lodge an appeal to the Conseil d’État (Council of State) against the recent oppressive move by the Ministry of Agriculture, Agri-Food and Food Sovereignty (MASA).
This DGAL Control Plan, which came into force late last month, has led to numerous CBD retailers removing food products from their shelves, whilst enforcement teams have sanctioned other outlets.
MASA is referencing the European Commission (EC) Novel Food rules, which have yet to determine whether CBD is ‘safe’ and therefore suitable for human consumption, as grounds for its crackdown.
However, a joint legal action by the industry groups – UIVEC, AFPC and UPCBD is expected to be launched to the Conseil d’État – the country’s highest administrative court – within days.
Their template for action is the council’s 2022 ruling, which overturned a previous ban on the sale of CBD flowers after determining the Government had acted unlawfully.
If this new challenge proceeds at the same pace, then a suspension of the MASA action could take place before the end of the month, with a final determination possible within a year.
Speaking to Business of Cannabis, Zoé Demange, co-founder and General Manager of Union of Industrialists for the Valorisation of Hemp Extracts (UIVEC), said it had been in discussions with the authorities on a number of occasions over the last few weeks.
And, with no signs of a compromise emerging, she said: “We will be looking to lodge our appeal within the next week-or-so, at this stage this seems like the only way we will be able to secure a positive resolution on behalf of our members.”
https://businessofcannabis.com/latest-french-cbd-crackdown-to-be-challenged-in-the-court/
