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.
Researchers on safety and toxicity confident of hitting UK deadlines
Written by Freddie Dawson || 19th June 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
An industry association study of the safety and toxicity of cannabinoids is expected to be completed in time to meet submission deadlines to keep CBD-containing food, beverage and supplement products on the UK market ...
Hemp flower now widely available in Spanish tobacconists – despite the law
Written by CBD-Intel || 17th June 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Hemp flower has become increasingly available in Spanish tobacconists (estancos) and even on corner newsstands during the COVID-19 crisis – even thought its sale is not permitted under Spanish law ...
Zimbabwe opens up cannabis to 100% investor or foreign ownership
Written by CBD-Intel || 9th June 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Zimbabwe has changed tack, allowing investors to hold 100% of medicinal cannabis licences in order to improve competiveness of the sector both regionally and globally ...
Italian prosecutors get tough, closing down leading CBD firm pending trial
Written by CBD-Intel || 8th June 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The public prosecutor's office in Parma has suspended all commercial operations of Italy’s leading CBD company, EasyJoint, pending trial on narcotics charges ...
US FDA takes action over unapproved drugs and unproven health claims
Written by Freddie Dawson || 29th May 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The company behind the world’s first injectable CBD product has issued a voluntary recall, while the US FDA continues to send warning letters over unsubstantiated health claims ...
Texas looks set to get its promised CBD product regulations this summer
Written by CBD-Intel || 27th May 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
CBD food, supplement and cosmetic products could be sold under a clear legal framework in the US state of Texas as early as July under a proposed set of regulations ...
South Africa ends suspense at the last moment – legalisation is here to stay
Written by Marija Obradovic || 26th May 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The regulation of CBD, THC and cannabis has been liberalised in South Africa – at the very moment when a year-long trial period was due to end ...
US FDA notes recall over ‘too much lead’, issues COVID-19 claim warning
Written by Freddie Dawson || 22nd May 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published an announcement of a product recall made voluntarily by a company after tests suggested the CBD oil contained too much lead ...
Firm falls in line after Health Canada warning over COVID-19 claims for CBD
Written by CBD-Intel || 21st May 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
A Canadian company part-owned by singer Bif Naked has run foul of Canada's national health authority after suggesting its CBD products can help protect users from COVID-19 ...
50 shades of grey: it’s federal vs state law on THC in US bankruptcy cases
Written by CBD-Intel || 20th May 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
CBD companies in the US that deal in THC may not be able to take Chapter 11 bankruptcy – reorganisation as a going concern – leaving those reliant on the business and creditors with few other options ...
Fresh hope or red herring? New THC testing method yet to be put to the test
Written by CBD-Intel || 19th May 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Industry leaders say it’s too soon to tell if a newly approved testing method will help address the instability US hemp farmers face due to strict regulations on crops that test above 0.3% THC ...
EU advocate general says French ban on CBD imports may be illegal
Written by CBD-Intel || 18th May 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The French government’s ban on the importing of CBD products conflicts with European law on free movement of goods, EU advocate general Evgeni Tanchev says, in an opinion that could have EU-wide implications ...
Baltic States look towards legalisation and regulation of cannabis
Written by CBD-Intel || 14th May 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Local industry lobbyists in the Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – are starting to push for further liberalisation of laws regarding the production of cannabis and...
Virginia joins the club of US states allowing CBD as a food ingredient
Written by CBD-Intel || 13th May 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The US state of Virginia has passed a bill to legalise CBD in foods. It expressly permits hemp extracts as food ingredients, as long as they don't contain more than 0.3% THC ...
No argument – 0.2% THC limit is just fine as it is, Polish ministries agree
Written by CBD-Intel || 11th May 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Despite reports, Poland’s Ministry of Health is not engaged in a dispute with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development over the country’s limit of 0.2% THC in cultivated hemp ...
US states providing tax relief measures in midst of COVID-19
Written by CBD-Intel || 8th May 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Every state in the US is offering some sort of tax relief in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and many hemp and CBD companies may be eligible for such relief ...
NORML vents frustration at planned DEA rules on cannabis for US research
Written by CBD-Intel || 7th May 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
A cannabinoid advocacy organisation has called for better rules on the growing of cannabis for research in the US – but declined to say exactly what it would like to see from regulators ...
Florida debate over allowed hemp seed varieties is kicked into the long grass
Written by CBD-Intel || 6th May 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
A debate over what varieties of hemp can be grown in Florida has been shelved for at least this growing season as industry associations push forward with guidance on obtaining a state licence ...
Unheeded FDA warning puts US firm in court over medical claims for CBD
Written by Freddie Dawson || 4th May 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken further steps in the fight against CBD brands making unsubstantiated medical claims, with one hit with a restraining order and injunction ...
Hemp coalition calls for regulation to be standardised between US states
Written by CBD-Intel || 1st May 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
US regulators should standardise the definition of hemp between states to reduce confusion, red tape and non-compliance for companies trading across state lines, says a coalition of interested groups ...
Legal fight goes on after Brazilian court suspends permit to grow hemp
Written by CBD-Intel || 30th April 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Further legal action is expected from the only company so far granted official permission to grow hemp in Brazil after a federal court suspended its authorisation ...
Australia consults on re-scheduling CBD to be sold on pharmacist’s advice
Written by Freddie Dawson || 28th April 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Australia has unveiled a consultation on a proposal to classify CBD products as over-the-counter medications, available in pharmacies after consultation with a pharmacist ...
Canada seeks experts to advise on non-prescription cannabis health products
Written by Marija Obradovic || 23rd April 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
A new national committee is to be set up in Canada to study all aspects of non-prescription cannabis health products, including CBD products ...
Government shutdown delays next step towards Mexican legalisation
Written by CBD-Intel || 23rd April 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Further advances towards the legalisation of cannabis in Mexico have been delayed by a government shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a new deadline for legislation set by the country’s Supreme Court ...
More CBD companies land in hot water with US FDA over COVID-19 claims
Written by CBD-Intel || 20th April 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Companies that have made claims about CBD’s beneficial effects against COVID-19 are facing swift enforcement action from US regulatory authorities ...
Uzbekistan approves hemp cultivation and manufacture under licence
Written by CBD-Intel || 17th April 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The government of Uzbekistan has allowed the turnover and imports of hemp and its related products within its territory, according to recent statements made by the press service of the Uzbek Presidential Administration ...
Clean bill of health: Epidiolex is taken off US schedule of controlled drugs
Written by CBD-Intel || 15th April 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has removed Epidiolex, the only CBD drug so far approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), from its list of controlled substances ...
Legal in theory only – huge licence fee holds up Zambia’s cannabis trade
Written by CBD-Intel || 2nd April 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Four months after Zambia legalised the production and export of cannabis, no one has yet been able to take advantage because of the high cost of licensing fees – and some confusion remains about what is allowed ...
US state governments shut down or shut doors in face of coronavirus
Written by Freddie Dawson || 1st April 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Legislative measures are on hold in half the states of the US due to the COVID-19 emergency, with most suspending activity until at least mid-April ...
Interagency spat as USDA blames DEA ‘pushback’ for hemp rule troubles
Written by Freddie Dawson || 26th March 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The head of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has blamed the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) for heavily criticised measures in the recently proposed federal hemp production rules ...
FDA needs more data before making CBD rules, Hahn tells US hearing
Written by CBD-Intel || 25th March 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn has told a Congressional subcommittee that more research and data are needed before the FDA is ready to issue a formal policy on CBD products ...
US authorities stamp down on false claims of anti-coronavirus properties
Written by CBD-Intel || 23rd March 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Bogus claims that products containing CBD may have any beneficial effects in treating or warding off coronavirus risk the wrath of authorities in the US – and could ultimately damage CBD's reputation ...
Divisions over drug policy lead to fresh delay in UN vote on restrictions
Written by CBD-Intel || 16th March 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The United Nations’ central drug policy agency has declined to reveal why it again postponed a vote on WHO recommendations to relax restrictions on cannabis and related substances such as CBD and THC ...
US FDA releases CBD enforcement policy update in Congress
Written by CBD-Intel || 13th March 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released an update on CBD enforcement to members of Congress ...
CBD medicines could be approved in Philippines without need of new law
Written by CBD-Intel || 10th March 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Legislative efforts will continue to push for cannabinoid liberalisation in the Philippines – despite recent comments that approval in principle of the epilepsy drug Epidiolex would be sufficient to cover most matters ...
EIHA statement leads to confusion over Germany’s novel food position
Written by CBD-Intel || 6th March 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
German authorities and a major European hemp association have disagreed on the implications of correspondence regarding the novel status of hemp extracts ...
Law firm leads call for joined-up hemp regulation between US states
Written by CBD-Intel || 5th March 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
A coalition of organisations linked to the US hemp market has released the first part of a series of policy recommendations – while one CBD firm has been referred to the US Federal Trade Commission over extravagant health...
Malawi legalises medical cannabis to salve collapse in tobacco earnings
Written by CBD-Intel || 3rd March 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
A bill legalising hemp and medical cannabis has been passed in Malawi, making it the fifth African country to pass some form of cannabis legalisation ...
US FDA chief Hahn says it would be ‘a fool’s game’ to try to halt CBD spread
Written by Freddie Dawson || 2nd March 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
CBD products will not be banned in the US and there is some medicinal value to them being on the market, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Stephen Hahn has said ...
USDA takes step back on enforcement of interim hemp testing rules
Written by CBD-Intel || 2nd March 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is to temporarily delay enforcement of two controversial provisions in its interim hemp production rule after receiving a large quantity of critical feedback ...
Irish hemp federation hits out at FSAI over order to recall CBD products
Written by CBD-Intel || 28th February 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
The Hemp Federation of Ireland (HFI) has taken issue with a report from the Food Standards Agency of Ireland (FSAI) and the order to remove a number of specified CBD products from shelves ...
Testing technology playing catch-up to head off US state smokable hemp bans
Written by CBD-Intel || 28th February 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Testing in the field could counter a major stated reason for enacting bans on smokable hemp in the US, but a perfect technical solution has not yet been found ...
SAFE Act and US medical cannabis research bill look dead in the water
Written by CBD-Intel || 27th February 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Two bills in the US House of Representatives, relating to banking and medical cannabis research, appear to be dead, with not enough time to pass the measures in 2020 despite wide support ...
15-day testing rule under review after US hemp farmers express fears
Written by CBD-Intel || 27th February 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Several US hemp farmers have spoken to CBD-Intel expressing concern over the crop-testing provisions set out in the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s interim final rule on hemp production ...
Clarity needed over CBD pet and animal products in the US
Written by CBD-Intel || 25th February 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
A lack of clear regulation has not stopped growth for companies looking at the US CBD pet and animal sector, but for the industry to see the niche truly embraced, some solution to the regulatory issues must first...
Swiss Supreme Court rules that hemp flowers should not be taxed under tobacco law
Written by CBD-Intel || 24th February 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Switzerland’s federal supreme court has ruled CBD should not be taxed under tobacco law, meaning that hemp flowers will no longer be subject to the 25% tax under the Swiss tobacco law ...
Heilongjiang province hemp proposals could be basis for industrial policies
Written by CBD-Intel || 24th February 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
At a meeting of the thirteenth People’s Congress of Heilongjiang, representative Ding Fei laid out a comprehensive plan to accelerate the growth of the hemp and CBD industries in the province ...
BfR issues warning over adulterated German e-liquids
Written by CBD-Intel || 21st February 2020 || Regulatory briefing |
Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) recently issued a warning on e-liquids that it believed to be containing synthetic cannabinoids, after at least eight teenagers suffered medical complications from an as yet unconfirmed source ...
