France: CBD soon to be regulated?

Since the front page of Le Parisien on «the worrying success of electronic joints».», The CBD e-liquid market has exploded in France. It is now rare to find a tobacconist without CBD e-liquid, which is now available under a variety of brand names.

The use of cannabidiol is not currently regulated in France. All we know is that it is forbidden to advertise its therapeutic effects.

To this end, RESPADD, Réseau de Prévention et d'Addiction, has published an advisory opinion to delimit what cannabidiol regulation could be, which we reproduce below.

In a nutshell:

• CBD consumed in e-liquid is not a therapeutic product
• ban on synthetic cannabinoids in e-liquids
• secure bottle with child-resistant cap to prevent accidents
• health information on bottles
• precautions regarding container materials

Some points are less obvious:

• CBD must come from varieties in the European catalog. It is currently difficult to trace CBD, as some extractions come from the United States or China, and this will require a real commitment to transparency on the part of the industry.
• no THC in e-liquids. Even with «pure» CBD extraction, traces of THC can be found, though perhaps below detection thresholds.
• no cannabinoids other than CBD. All full-spectrum extractions will therefore have to be presented in a format other than e-liquid.

Contacted by us, Nicolas Bonnet, public health pharmacist and director of RESPADD, explains: «The aim of this opinion is to promote the proper use of CBD and avoid its prohibition or classification’. He also makes a very clear distinction between a medical product, which CBD e-liquids are not, and a comfort product which has its place on the market.

The notice should be sent to the MILDECA and the Direction Nationale de la Santé for consultation.

On the pharmaceutical side, the Agence Nationale de Sécurité du Médicament (ANSM) is also seeking to regulate the use of CBD. The discussion initiated in 2015 in the Kanavape case should continue in the near future, as indicated by in the minutes from the Commission des Stupéfiants et Psychotropes in February 2018.

How is CBD regulated abroad?

Generally, CBD is regulated in two ways, as currently in the UK:

• in pharmaceutical preparations, available in pharmacies, with or without prescription
• in wellness or comfort products, leaving room for products containing CBD but with no therapeutic purpose

The recent WHO status on CBD, This could lead to similar regulation in France. But we're beginning to learn that, with the broader subject of cannabis, France is not always the logical champion. Regulation does, however, seem necessary to avoid abuses, both in terms of the quality of the products distributed, and the expected effects, which are not always delivered.