Amazon bans CBD sales on its German platform

Since March 1, Amazon has banned the sale of cannabidiol (CBD) and CBD-based products on its German platform. Merchants and resellers have complained that their product listings were removed without notice.

In Germany, products containing CBD are generally considered dietary supplements or cosmetics and may not be marketed as medications.

Leafly.de has received several statements from e-commerce merchants, including this one:

«I had four products removed by Amazon without any explanation. After contacting them, it turned out that Amazon had recently banned products containing cannabidiol. After a quick search, I noticed that most items containing CBD (oils and other extracts) had disappeared, especially the bestsellers from major suppliers. A week ago, these items were still available and online. Although I only have four CBD products, this really upsets me. There were certainly a dozen sellers who carried nothing but CBD in their stores.»

And further on:

«There's something else that annoys me even more: the sale of parts of the Cannabis sativa plant is not permitted on Amazon.de. Does that mean that perfectly legal and harmless hemp oil for salads or hulled hemp seeds are banned? Products that you can now find in every supermarket?»

U.S. platforms are often very cautious when it comes to hemp—and even more so when it comes to cannabis. Facebook and Instagram regularly remove pages and advertising accounts related to hemp.

When it comes to CBD, however, Amazon seems a bit hesitant here. The’In particular, the WHO acknowledged last January that that CBD posed no risk to public health or of abuse and that, for the time being, it should not not be listed as a controlled substance.

On the Amazon's U.S. platform, there is no mention of CBD either, not even among the hemp oils sold there. On Amazon.fr, cosmetics, certain oils, and pet products are sold with CBD.