Regulatory briefing
Our regulatory briefings section delivers current and up-to-date legal and regulatory news relating to all aspects of the CBD industry. It covers individual regulation changes across the world, policy and governmental changes that impact the industry and technological and medical innovations that affect how the industry is regulated, to name a few.
US lawsuits end DEA restrictions on sources of cannabis for researchers
Written by CBD-Intel || 26th January 2022 || Regulatory briefing |
Lawsuits in the US have finally overturned the DEA's requirement that researchers interested in studying cannabis could only purchase from one source, the University of Mississippi ...
Polish Sejm drafts laws to govern hemp farming for medical applications
Written by CBD-Intel || 20th January 2022 || Regulatory briefing |
A bill governing growing and harvesting of hemp for pharmaceuticals has been passed to the Sejm’s Health Commission and the Agriculture and Rural Development Commission ...
More of the same in US 2022 – expect state moves and federal stalemate
Written by Anthony Traurig || 17th January 2022 || Regulatory briefing |
Last year saw no movement on cannabinoid issues at federal level in the US, as CBD-Intel predicted, and it’s not looking too good for this year either – though we anticipate some continued movement at state level ...
Leading judge hears industry arguments against French ban on hemp flower sales
Written by CBD-Intel || 17th January 2022 || Regulatory briefing |
The first public hearing has been held on the industry challenge against the French government decree confirming the continuation of the ban on selling hemp flower as an end-product ...
How US Democrats’ cannabis reform plans ran aground despite promises
Written by Lorraine Mullaney || 12th January 2022 || Blog , Regulatory briefing |
After early promise, no cannabis-focused legislation has yet made it onto president Joe Biden’s desk for signing. So why is that? ...
Malta’s cannabis bill faced a long process but promises much for the future
Written by CBD-Intel || 7th January 2022 || Regulatory briefing |
The dust is starting to settle and the initial excitement – or even hype – around Malta becoming the first EU country to legalise recreational cannabis in some form is starting to fade ...
Rival bills aim to establish a pathway to the US market for ingestible CBD
Written by CBD-Intel || 3rd January 2022 || Regulatory briefing |
US representatives have introduced a bill into the House aiming to push the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate CBD in food and drinks ...
Guidelines on real world data could bring cannabinoid drugs to UK patients sooner
Written by Freddie Dawson || 30th December 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
New guidance from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on the use of real word data and evidence to support clinical trials could help cannabinoid products gain approval ...
‘Snake oil’ claims for CBD and Covid-19 top latest list of US FDA warning letters
Written by Lorraine Mullaney || 29th December 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The most common subject of recent warning letters from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over unsubstantiated health claims was CBD products that were claimed to mitigate, prevent, treat, diagnose or cure Covid-19 ...
UK government advisors reject ‘one limit fits all’ rule for THC in CBD products
Written by Freddie Dawson || 22nd December 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has recommended the government not to set one single concentration limit for THC that would apply to all CBD products ...
Legal eagle Kight explains how the USPS could have modified PACT Act regulation
Written by CBD-Intel || 22nd December 2021 || Blog , Regulatory briefing |
Does the United States Postal Service (USPS) really have the authority to permit the shipping of CBD vaping products under the PACT Act? ...
What’s next as Malta becomes first EU state to legalise recreational cannabis?
Written by Freddie Dawson || 20th December 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Malta becoming the first EU country to legalise recreational cannabis in some form will still have a commercial impact even though the regulations do not create a retail market ...
Florida bill will not distinguish delta-8 THC from other hemp-derived products
Written by Freddie Dawson || 16th December 2021 || Blog , Regulatory briefing |
There are incorrect reports that a proposed bill in Florida would regulate delta-8 THC products in the state. In fact the bill will place limitations on the sale of all hemp-derived products ...
Luxembourg leads Europe on the road to legalisation of recreational cannabis
Written by CBD-Intel || 6th December 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Luxembourg will become the first European country to establish a legal regulatory framework allowing adults to grow and use cannabis for personal use and to trade seeds ...
Mexico circulates a new draft bill that could legalise recreational cannabis
Written by CBD-Intel || 3rd December 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Mexico’s Senate has drafted new legislation that, if approved, would legalise and regulate recreational cannabis consumption, sales, cultivation, import, export and...
European Council approves increased 0.3% THC limit for 2023 in new CAP
Written by Freddie Dawson || 2nd December 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Hemp varieties with up to 0.3% THC will soon be able to be added to the European common variety list following a vote by the European Council to adopt an EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) with hemp-related measures...
Little stands in the way of Germany legalising recreational cannabis by 2024
Written by CBD-Intel || 30th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The incoming German ‘traffic light’ coalition government’s promise to legalise recreational cannabis for adults puts it on track to be the first major European nation to take such action ...
Republican bill could create ingestible CBD pathway, but passage remains iffy
Written by CBD-Intel || 26th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Nancy Mace, a first-term Republican Congresswoman from South Carolina, recently introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that would decriminalise cannabis at the federal level ...
Top South Dakota court overturns ballot bid to legalise recreational cannabis
Written by Anthony Traurig || 25th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Legal recreational cannabis in South Dakota will have to wait following the state Supreme Court’s controversial decision to invalidate Amendment A, a ballot initiative passed by voters a year ago ...
Malawi asks former world boxing champ Tyson to be cannabinoids ambassador
Written by CBD-Intel || 25th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Malawi has asked former world heavyweight boxing chamption Mike Tyson to be ambassador for its cannabinoid industry, where new legislation is coming in. A civil rights group opposes this ...
New German coalition plans to legalise cannabis – but when will sales begin?
Written by Freddie Dawson || 25th November 2021 || Blog , Regulatory briefing |
The newly elected German governing coalition has followed through on pre-election promises and included a plan for cannabis legalisation in its coalition agreement – but many questions remain to be answered ...
Hempro returns to German courts in bid to overturn rejection of hemp imports
Written by CBD-Intel || 24th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A German hemp producer and retailer is going to court hoping to overturn a rejection of its application to import hemp products from Austria. The new German government may pre-empt matters if it makes cannabis sales legal ...
European Commission commentary on French CBD rules raises wider questions
Written by CBD-Intel || 19th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Questions on European policies banning flowers and outlining permitted THC levels in food ingredients have been raised by a commentary from the EC to a French proposal ...
Switzerland heads towards cannabis legalisation, but some hurdles remain
Written by CBD-Intel || 19th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Switzerland inched closer towards legalising recreational and medical cannabis as a committee of the upper parliamentary chamber backed a proposal to regulate the market ...
Russia plans to bring light to the grey area of industrial hemp definitions
Written by CBD-Intel || 18th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade is planning to clarify the definitions of definition of industrial hemp and the varieties that can be cultivated for industrial purposes by March/April 2022 ...
Gupta’s appointment and nomination of Califf may indicate change in US climate
Written by Freddie Dawson || 16th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Rahul Gupta has been confirmed by the US Senate as director of National Drug Control Policy, while president Joe Biden intends to nominate Robert Califf as head of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ...
The suspense continues, still with no end in sight to the UK’s novel food saga
Written by Freddie Dawson || 3rd November 2021 || Blog , Regulatory briefing |
October has ended and November begun with still no further update from the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) on the ongoing novel food application...
Italian cannabis referendum looks likely to go ahead despite teething troubles
Written by CBD-Intel || 27th October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Italian campaigners believe they have done enough to secure a referendum on the legalisation of cannabis cultivation for personal use and the decriminalisation of possession ...
Court of Cassation ruling spreads more confusion over French legal position
Written by CBD-Intel || 25th October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The highest court in France has confirmed the decision made by the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) in the Kanavape case – but the decision has contributed to uncertainty over the legality of hemp-derived cannabinoids...
US states fall over themselves backwards to sow further confusion over delta-8
Written by Anthony Traurig || 21st October 2021 || Blog , Regulatory briefing |
A few US states may have over-corrected course in their rushing to modify regulations to cover hemp-derived delta-8 THC ...
France facing legal battle over coming decree to ban the sale of CBD flowers
Written by CBD-Intel || 19th October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The French ban on CBD flowers looks set to go ahead, with a decree expected to be officially published at the start of November – and an immediate legal appeal against it likely ...
UK advertising watchdog raps shopping channel over CBD firm’s health claims
Written by Freddie Dawson || 18th October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has held a shopping infomercial channel to account for claims made for a CBD product being marketed during one of its shows ...
New Moroccan government will stick with medical cannabis production plan
Written by CBD-Intel || 14th October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Morocco’s new medical cannabis law is still supported by the new government of Aziz Akhannouch, even though it was the pet project of a minister in the government he has displaced ...
Is CBD a dietary ingredient or a drug? US FDA ‘appears to have changed its mind’
Written by CBD-Intel || 13th October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The lack of a clear regulatory pathway to market for CBD products in the US is highlighted by a row over the FDA’s denial of new dietary ingredient (NDI) approval for full spectrum hemp extracts ...
Could CBD companies face scrutiny from another US regulatory agency?
Written by Freddie Dawson || 6th October 2021 || Blog , Regulatory briefing |
Does the CBD industry now face increased scrutiny from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)? ...
Panama leads the way with Central America’s first legal medical cannabis
Written by CBD-Intel || 5th October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Panama is set to become the first country in Central America to legalise and regulate medicinal cannabis after the 44-member National Assembly voted unanimously in favour of doing so ...
What does the recent USPTO trademark decision mean for the industry?
Written by Freddie Dawson || 22nd September 2021 || Blog , Regulatory briefing |
The USPTO Appeals Board verdict upholding the USPTO's decision to not grant Joy Tea a trademark covering CBD beverages should come as no surprise ...
Resistant legislators deny Kentucky and Tennessee access to medical cannabis
Written by CBD-Intel || 21st September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Kentucky and Tennessee are among a large number of Southeastern US states that have not yet passed legislation for medical cannabis programs. Here, CBD-Intel examines the issues behind the official reluctance ...
Cleared CBD restaurant owner: ‘I hope my case makes UK police think again’
Written by Lorraine Mullaney || 20th September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The long-running saga of one of the first UK police raids on a retail location selling hemp products has finally ended after a jury took just 30 minutes to reach a non-guilty verdict on drug charges ...
FDA warning flags up delta-8 THC as the likely next target for US enforcement
Written by Freddie Dawson || 16th September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Enforcement action against companies pushing the limits on marketing delta-8 THC products in the US is likely following a health advisory from the FDA and CDC ...
FDA and CDC warnings won’t signal the end of the delta-8 THC market in the US
Written by Freddie Dawson || 16th September 2021 || Blog , Regulatory briefing |
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have issued warnings about the rise of reported incidents in the US regarding the use of delta-8 THC ...
No Joy: USPTO confirms no trademarks are allowed for ‘illegal’ CBD products
Written by Freddie Dawson || 14th September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
CBD products are not eligible for trademark protection, US regulators have reaffirmed, because they are not legal under the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) ...
Smokable hemp ban in Texas overturned but further court action is probable
Written by CBD-Intel || 7th September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A ban on the production and sale of smokable hemp products in Texas has been fully overturned after two court decisions – but the case will almost certainly head through two further levels of appeal ...
Lagging behind: why Wyoming and Idaho are still to legalise medical cannabis
Written by CBD-Intel || 3rd September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
There are now only 14 US states that have yet to implement a medical cannabis programme. Why they are behind the curve on the issue is something of a mystery ...
Approved by EU – so why was Finola hemp tested and banned in Poland?
Written by CBD-Intel || 2nd September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Crops of a hemp variety found by Polish authorities to be over the THC limit should never have been tested and regulators are refusing to say why they were, the creator of the variety alleges ...
Could Colombia’s reversal on allowing medical cannabis flower exports impact the global market?
Written by CBD-Intel || 1st September 2021 || Blog , Regulatory briefing |
There are always people claiming that new changes mean some such country will be "The next big X in cannabis or hemp". Recent examples include North Macedonia, Thailand, Brazil, Paraguay, Lesotho, Malawi, and of course, Colombia ...
Brazil’s bill to legalise hemp and medical cannabis runs into a further snag
Written by CBD-Intel || 24th August 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A bill to legalise the cultivation and processing of hemp and medical cannabis in Brazil has been dealt a blow with a call for it to be debated and voted on by the country’s full Chamber of Deputies...
Positive regulatory changes for CBD, hemp and cannabis in Uruguay
Written by CBD-Intel || 23rd August 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Uruguay is expected to become one of the first countries to officially legalise the use of CBD in ingestible products ...