The cultivation of industrial cannabis by agricultural undertakings does not require authorisation when certified seeds of the varieties listed in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No. 639/2014 are used or the THC content is below 0.2%; in this case only a notification to the authorities is necessary.
Apart from cultivation, currently, all other uses of industrial cannabis require an authorisation pursuant to the German Narcotics Act, except when certified seeds of the varieties listed in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No. 639/2014 are used or the THC is below 0.2%, and it is used for scientific or commercial purposes only and an abuse for intoxication purposes is excluded. Commercial purposes are allowed in case the cannabis is processed and becomes a harmless product that cannot be used for drug abuse. However, the current draft for the new Cannabis legislations will most likely also lead to changes of the German Narcotics Act.
CBD as a pure substance is not defined as a narcotic pursuant to the German Narcotics Act. However, products with CBD have recently been considered to be illegal by prosecutors and criminal courts in the same way as industrial hemp, i.e. in particular if they contain more than 0.2% THC, but oftentimes also below that threshold claiming that CBD products at the end consumer level are not used for scientific or commercial purposes only and may lead to an abuse for intoxication purposes. It is currently still uncertain whether German courts will adapt this case law in light of the ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on November 19, 2020 (C-663/18), according to which CBD extracts obtained from the whole cannabis sativa plant are not considered narcotics.
Food
CBD Food is essentially not yet marketable in Germany. Since the European Commission added cannabinoids to the EU Novel Food Catalogue in January 2019, there was great uncertainty in the German market as to how German authorities will evaluate food and food supplements with CBD. In various judgements since 2019, the German Administrative Courts have shed some light on the until then confusing legal situation.
According to the courts, food and food supplements containing CBD components are Novel Foods and are therefore only marketable in cases where they are authorised by the European Commission. Currently, EFSA (The European Food Safety Authority) has 19 applications to approve CBD as a Novel Food. In June 2022, EFSA last indicated in a statement that the assessments on CBD will be suspended until new data on safety is available. So far, there have been no new developments in this regard.
Cosmetics
Cosmetics with CBD are marketable in Germany if they are in accordance with the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products. Therefore, the cosmetic product may not contain narcotics as listed in Table I and II of the UN Single Convention on narcotic drugs (1961).
Furthermore, cosmetics with CBD must comply with the above stated requirements of German Narcotics Law. Provided the cosmetic product usually cannot be ingested, German authorities generally agree that cosmetics containing less than 0.2% THC are “harmless” products that cannot be misused for intoxicating purposes. Also, these strict requirements will most likely change once the new legislation has been enacted.
Feed
Feed with CBD is marketable if done so in accordance with the provision of the European Feed Law. In particular, the CBD content in the product may only derive from hemp oil as listed in the catalogue of feed material (Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2017).
Furthermore, feed with CBD must also comply with the above stated requirements of German Narcotics Law. However, this will most likely change once the new legislation has been enacted.
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