EU court advises against hemp-derived oil imports ban
The opinion represents a symbolic victory for the CBD industry, whose European market is expected to grow 400% by 2023
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Prohibiting imports of cannabidiol oil (CBD) from other member states is contrary to EU law since there is no scientific evidence that hemp-based products have psychotropic effects, according to a non-binding opinion from the advocate general of the EU’s top court. On 14 May, an adviser to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) said in a legal opinion that the import of CBD cannot be banned under the bloc’s free movement of goods. CBD is a lighter chemical compound extracted from hemp plants but containing less than 0.2% of the active substance tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The legal case concerns the marketing in France of Kanavape, an e-cigarette using CBD oil imported from the Czech Republic, where organic hemp plants were processed.