MILDECA considers controlling CBD cannabis stores

According to our information, the Interministerial Mission to Combat Drugs and Addictive Behaviors (MILDECA) has launched a consultation process to assess the procedures for monitoring establishments that currently sell cannabis flowers with a THC content of less than 0.2%.

Following the highly publicized wave of CBD cannabis store openings, the response will not be immediately repressive. Law enforcement has already visited several stores in various departments, and most had their products returned to them or were simply inspected without any products being seized.

French law is, however, clear on this matter: the order of August 22, 1990, referring to Article R5132-86 of the Public Health Code, stipulates that «the cultivation, importation, exportation, and industrial and commercial use (fibers and seeds) of varieties of Cannabis sativa L. are authorized […] .» French law therefore restricts the commercial and industrial use of hemp flowers, and, consequently, the work of hemp farmers. Paradoxically, CBD-based products are legal, even though their raw material is not.

How, then, can we explain why so many stores are opening? We are unable to explain it, and ultimately, that is not the point. These stores sell cannabis stripped of all psychoactive properties—sometimes with a pleasant taste—that poses no immediate risk to public health and safety. The greatest dangers lie more in the sellers« »therapeutic« claims or the confusion created by equating it with »real” cannabis. A regulatory framework is therefore needed to ensure best practices within the industry. What could MILDECA propose?

The latter has not announced a deadline for submitting its opinion, nor has it disclosed the purpose of its consultation.

So, how long will CBD cannabis stores last in France?

Update on June 11: It didn't take long—the MILDECA has posted its recommendations on CBD online 30 minutes after this article was published.