THE CBD IS BIEN LEGAL IN FRANCE AND EUROPE
IMPORTANT ISSUES AND SUBTILITIES.
Cannabis on open sale is a societal issue as well as public health that often comes back in the collimator of political policies and editorialists who see it as an opportunity to mix many topics. This is sometimes what happens when it comes to the legality of CBD in France. Confoned with cannabis, cannabidiol is not the same substance. This is why it is necessary to take stock of the legality of these products in France.
The difference between cannabis, CBD, THC
The question of the legality of CBD in France is on many lips and it is necessary first of all to explain the terms in use in order to understand clearly where legality, prohibition, and legal blur are located. First, we need to know that cannabis is a plant called hemp. There are two main types of hemp. There is the Indian hemp, which is derived from marijuana and haschich and which is therefore the use of drugs. On the other, there is the cultivated hemp, the one used in agriculture to produce textiles for example. It does not contain, or in very small quantities, THC. The whole issue of product legality in France is based on the distinction between THC and CBD.
THC is the psychotropic substance contained in hemp. This is the substance to which one becomes customary even if dependence on THC is only psychological, the substance that drugs and that which, without using such strong words, causes an alteration of the state of consciousness of the brain. THC is euphoric and relatively addictive, making it a drug with prohibited consumption. But from hemp, one pulls another substance, there are about 500 different in cannabis, which is called the legal CBD.
The legal CBD, cannabidiol, is a substance that is not euphoric, that is not a source of stress, that causes no addiction. On the contrary, it has therapeutic, soothing and virtues in the care of certain chronic diseases. Because of these virtues, more and more countries advocate the use of cannabis in the treatment of certain long-term conditions, such as Alzheimer’s. The cannabidiol is in no way a discovery, since it has been studied since the half of the 18th century.
So it's legal or not?
It is important to understand these elements in order to speak about the legality of CBD in France. CBD, and CBD only, is a licensed product in France under certain conditions. Any so-called CBD product that could contain THC, in a concentration greater than 0.2%, is prohibited as it becomes a psychotropic product at this rate. The CBD is licensed and legal in France. However, it must be put in liquid form to be authorized by law. This is why the products that we find most about the legal CBD are CBD oil and CBD e-liquids for electronic cigarettes. CBD oil is an oil, type of hemp or coconut oil, to which a low concentration of cannabidiol is added, it is the same observation with e-liquids.
It should be noted that only liquid forms are clearly permitted by law, so you can buy CBD in peace. However, and this is a legal subtlety, nothing prohibits the marketing of a CBD product (in cannabidiol) as long as it does not contain THC, the psychotropic substance, or in a THC rate below 0.2%. Talking about the sale of cannabis product is therefore an intellectual dishonesty since cannabis means the substance assimilable to drugs by its THC while only products that do not contain this substance can be legally put on the market.
And in europe?
France still has trouble talking about cannabis and its substances, whether they are harmful such as THC or salutary like CBD. It is not necessarily the case of other European countries that have clearer legislation on this subject.
Most European countries recognize the harmless character of CBD and therefore allow CBD products to contain them. This is the case of Switzerland, for nearly a decade, but also of Italy, Greece, Croatia, Spain, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Germany. Of course, marketed products must meet a regulatory dose of THC, i.e. not more than 1% in concentration. France is even more restrictive with less than 0.2% or Italy with a limit of 0.6%.
If you can travel to Europe with CBD products, the answer will be multiple. First of all, ask yourself what legislation is on CBD in your destination country. If it has legalized the CBD, you are entitled to have it with you, within a 30-day consumption limit, even if the latter data remains at the appraisal of customs control. The product must also be less than 0.2% THC, since this level is recognized as industrial hemp and therefore considered harmless. If you have medical CBD, it must be confirmed by a document called Schengen Certificate, completed by your doctor and attesting to your need to continue the care based on this product.
In conclusion, nothing prohibits you from traveling with a legal CBD product provided that you comply with the limit of 0.2% THC, to travel to a country authorizing this substance and retaining with you a quantity more than reasonable.