Do you know the current cannabis standing in France? Did you know that Cali Terpenes is quite present in the country? Keep reading to find out more.
Cali Terpenes, Now Available in French
Cannabis regulation on an international scale is a reality that more countries and states are starting to experience. Europe originally fell behind in comparison to other continents such as America. However, over the last few years there’s been changes that, until now, seemed like an out of reach utopia.
One of the countries that has moved forward the most has been France, which has gone from being a country with extremely prohibitionist politics to being one of the potential markets in the sector.
At Cali Terpenes we want our values and passion for cannabis aromas to reach the entire world, and we know that there’s no better way to do so than through communication.
We know that cannabis terpene profiles are quite a new product that not many know of yet. The potential that terpenes hold, both recreationally and therapeutically, is unknown to many people, which is why we want information on terpene uses and properties to be as accessible as possible to everyone. We hope you enjoy having all of our information and posts available in Spanish as much as we enjoyed this project, creating a multilingual platform that opens up a wide range of flavors and possibilities to all types of audiences.
Is cannabis legal in France?
In order to better understand this change in paradigm that’s taking place in both Europe and on an internationel level, we need to understand the complex legality found in each territory. Moving around the legal grounds of the cannabis industry isn’t an easy task, however recent advances have opened doors to a possible regulation in the future. Today we’re going to talk about the latest advances made in French legislation to help you understand where they stand.
France Takes the First Steps
As we mentioned above, over the last few decades France has stood out as a country with some of the biggest restrictions regarding using and growing cannabis and its derivatives.
However, whether it’s due to new leadership in Germany and their openness to regulating cannabis or the race that many different countries are joining in on to join the sector, France has also decided to join the legalization train.
Ironically, even though they’ve had quite restrictive policies, France is one of the most cannabis-consumer heavy countries in Europe, with 5 million yearly consumers and almost a million of daily smokers. This may be why certain political parties are questioning if the measures taken have truly been effective.
We know that this change in direction happened not too long ago, when president Macron announced towards the end of 2020 new measures to replace jail time with fines in the case of cannabis possession. This change was done in order to reduce the amount of court cases and has been seen as a depenalization as many.
However, these fines (which can go up to 200 euro) stay on the person’s permanent record.
Is CBD legal in France?
Without a doubt, this massive leap towards legalizing cannabis comes in the form of regulating medicinal cannabis. Following the same path as other countries such as Switzerland, France initiated a medicinal cannabis pilot programme in 2021 in which 3000 patients had access to cannabis to treat their issues.
The pilot was an absolute success and served as an instigator for other measures, such as a sentence passed in June 2021, which states that CBD is legal in France as long as it comes from a Cannabis Sativa L plant and has been produced within the European Union.
In reality, this sentence was a provisional suspension of another that prohibited the sale and consumption of CBD flowers. This was quite a blow, that hit hard in a flourishing sector that had been growing over the past few years, and it was suspended after the companies that worked with products containing cannabidiol contested the law.
This is why, if you’re in France and you want to get your hands on products such as CBD e-liquids, you can purchase them for consumption or commercial outlets easily.
Medicinal Cannabis Legalization in France
However, the most important step forward was in March, when cannabis was legalized for medicinal uses. Thanks to the results from the initial pilot program where medicinal cannabis was made accessible to patients that suffer from illnesses such as epilepsy or chronic pain, positive results pushed towards the legalization of therapeutic use.
At the start of this year the French government stated that growing cannabis for medicinal use would be allowed, clearing the way for this industry to flourish in France.
This law was made active on March 1st and was published in the Official French Republic Bulletin, establishing that producing medicinal cannabis in France is legal. This is good news but there are still many more adjustments to be made and some believe that this new law is kind of confusing the issue.
However, this step marks a clear change in direction that, in reality, is spreading throughout Europe. Unlike the US, regulation on the old continent is progressive but slow, with a lot of interventions from States looking to control different sectors.
At Cali Terpenes we celebrate every single step taken in the direction of responsible regulation that covers the needs of consumers and allows for more access to educational information and scientific investigation.
See you soon!
Cali Terpenes.
