French MPs call for a fact-finding mission on hemp well-being

Five French MPs, gathered around the Creuse MP Jean-Baptiste Moreau, has called for the creation of a fact-finding mission. This mission aims to clarify the legal status of consumer goods derived from hemp. They mean to encourage the establishment of clear regulations for their production. The objective of the MEPs is to encourage the development of the sector. Particularly by authorizing the use of flowers for CBD products.

Among the signatories were a number of members of the majority are Sophie Beaudouin-Hubière (Haute-Vienne), Naïma Moutchou (Val d’Oise), Ludovic Mendes (Moselle) and about 10 others, as well as MP Paul Molac, MP for Morbihan related to the Liberté et Territoires group.

The vague status of wellness products derived from hemp

“Wellness hemp” refers to food, cosmetic or other products obtained from hemp. Oils, e-liquids, creams, foods or dried flowers for spraying and infusion, their legality is still unclear. Hemp grows legally in France for other markets for use in construction and textiles.

Faced with the growing success of this molecule among consumers, retailers specializing in this type of product have multiplied. Nevertheless, entrepreneurs quickly became disenchanted with the upsurge in searches throughout France.

MILDECA then clarified that the use of hemp flowers was prohibited and that the 0.2-limit applied to the plant but did not apply to finished products that must contain 0e THC. This position is not justified by international conventions, European law or even French domestic law.

Members of Parliament are addressing the issue of cannabis

Elected officials constantly debate the legality of cannabis. On 5 December last year, they discussed the issue of therapeutic cannabis in the National Assembly. Regional elected officials have also raised the issue on many occasions. On Tuesday, Breton deputies met in the Assembly, at the initiative of Paul Molac, to discuss the challenges of developing the hemp sector in Brittany.

The Breton MP invokes a logic of regionalization: “We must stop thinking that everything comes from above and let people organize themselves and develop their project. Listen to us, we know what we’re doing.”

Today, five of them have requested the formation of a fact-finding mission. Jean-Baptiste Moreau, MP for La Creuse, Sophie Beaudouin-Hubières, MP for Haute-Vienne, Naïma Moutchou, MP for Val-d’Oise, Ludovic Mendes, MP for Moselle, and Paul Molac, MP for Morbihan.

They already enjoy significant support in the Assembly and there are currently 16 signatories. These include Sandrine Le Feur, a young farmer MP who herself grows hemp, and Jean Baptiste Djebbari, LREM’s spokesperson in the Assembly.

Issued and debated

The request mobilizes the Social Affairs Committee, the Law Committee, and the Economic Affairs Committee. They will then have to meet the actors of the sector and hear from the stakeholders.

The mission can also result in a legislative change. “The initial idea of this fact-finding mission is to respond to the legal uncertainty and make a legislative contribution to it,” explains MP Ludovic Mendes. In view of the French situation, it would be a matter of changing policy to allow the use of hemp flower.

The union welcomes the initiative of the MPs and intends to highlight the positive economic benefits (entrepreneurial momentum, job creation) that the development of the sector could have. The valorization of hemp flower could also mean an increased yield for farmers.

European countries are already investing

Moreover, consumers are already there and France’s delay in the international market could result in massive imports of foreign products. According to Aurélien, it is “urgent to structure together, in coordination with the public authorities, the sector in order not to miss this opportunity.”

The urgency accentuated by the fact that many European countries are already investing in the market and that the European Court of Justice will soon rule on the Kanavape trial. Laure Bouguen, the SPCBE spokeswoman, underlines the fact that French economic actors are at a disadvantage in the face of foreign competition “notably because of the impossibility of using hemp flower in France.” However, France is a leader in world production of hemp and tons of flowers are destroyed every year.

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First published in Newsweed, a third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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