France: Ministry of Justice officializes crackdown on CBD cannabis

It is through a news report In a letter addressed to French prosecutors, the Directorate of Criminal Affairs and Pardons (DACG), a division of the Ministry of Justice, confirmed the «Legal Framework Applicable to Establishments Offering Cannabis Products for Sale to the Public.».

Broadly speaking, the ministry's press release echoes the «Legal Advisory» produced by MILDECA a few weeks ago. This reminder had little effect on the growth of the stores, which continued to multiply, but it did launch the initial searches and police custody.

First, noting the recent proliferation of stores selling CBD cannabis flowers containing 0.21% THC (incorrectly referred to as coffee shops), the report starts with the French legal framework to identify potential violations in CBD stores. Nothing new here, so we find:

• the alleged requirement for zero traces of THC in the finished product
• the need for the CBD or extracted from the fibers and seeds of authorized cannabis varieties containing less than 0.21% THC
• the ban on promoting the therapeutic benefits of products

Our analysis of these three points is the same as for MILDECA.

What do you think?

The Ministry has officially called time on the CBD cannabis “recess.” Although the points raised have no more legal basis than the MILDECA paper, the Ministry of Justice’s letterhead now looms over prosecutors, who are being expressly asked to find ways to prosecute sellers of non-intoxicating products derived from legal hemp.

The oft-cited lack of resources for combating drug use on a daily basis does not seem to apply to all cases, no matter how minor they may be.

There are now more than 100 CBD flower shops in France. Numerous online retailers and CBD home delivery services have emerged in recent weeks. The market will therefore adapt to overcome this crackdown. In fact, French CBD will soon be derived solely from fibers and seeds thanks to a new miracle technology available only abroad!

In the end, the Department of Justice did not learned from the 1970 law. In true Streisand fashion, banning a product considered harmless guarantees its success. It worked for cannabis and should work the same way for CBD. Thanks to whom?