Yann Bisiou, Senior Lecturer at the Université Paul Valéry-Montpellier III, has accompanied CBD professionals in their fight against the ban on flower sales set for the end of 2021. For ZEWEED, he looks back on the victory achieved on December 29 at the Conseil d’État, the epilogue to an underwater battle between industrial hemp and hemp for well-being?
ZEWEED: Just before the turn of the year, the French Conseil d’Etat overturned the ban on the sale of CBD flowers. Is this the final word on the hemp wellness debate?
Yann Bisiou: First of all, there’s no denying that this is a victory for all those involved in the well-being sector. The decision is logical and normal, but it doesn’t settle everything. The Conseil d’Etat annulled the decree for lack of proportionality, ruling that the product “has no psychotropic effect and does not cause dependence”. On this basis, the government can issue a new decree that it deems proportionate, again restricting the sale of raw flowers and putting a new piece in the machine. In fact, this is what the MILDECA (Mission Interministérielle de Lutte contre les Drogues et les Addictions, NDLR) announced after the ruling. We must remain vigilant and hope that the government agrees to work with CBD players to help its development in France.
ZEWEED: Isn’t it?
Y.B.: There are three unions involved in cannabis wellness: the Union des Professionnels du CBD (UPCBD), which looks after retailers; the Association Française des Producteurs de Chanvre (AFPC), which focuses on growers; and the Syndicat du Chanvre (SPC), which is more diverse. Their “problem” is that, from the outset, they have moved forward in a scattered fashion. Over the last three years or so, there have been many more meetings and joint actions between these unions, who intend to present a united front. Last year, for example, they acted in concert when the state presented its ruling against CBD. This victory shows how important it is for them to organize.
ZEWEED How do you explain the government’s determination to ban CBD?
Y.B.: The almost systematic parallel drawn with cannabis demonstrates a lack of understanding of the product. We can also assume that, for electoral reasons, the government has preferred to take a firm stance on this issue, so as not to lose the support of the hard-right. But these factors are not enough. It should also be remembered that the hemp welfare unions face Interchanvre, an inter-professional organization that structures the entire industrial hemp sector. They have the ear of the government.
Read the full article in issue 2 of ZEWEED magazine, available from your newsagent at this link .
