News analysis for professionals in the cannabis industry

Hopes are up for CBD to get full UK FSA approval as a novel ingestible ingredient

Written by Freddie Dawson | 1st October 2025

Changes at the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) have helped to move the process of CBD as a novel ingestible ingredient along to the point where a successful full approval can be expected soon ...

Regulatory body in place, Lebanon looks to enter international cannabis market

Written by Anthony Traurig | 29th August 2025

The Lebanese government is looking for an economic boost and believes that cannabis can provide just that by unlocking the potential of hemp and medical cannabis ...

UK ASA goes after CBD drinks company, but not for the reason you might think

Written by Freddie Dawson | 23rd July 2025

A product from a CBD company has again been called out by the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for allegedly making unsubstantiated health and nutrition claims, but this time the claims were not about CBD...

CBD shops in Italy vow to remain open despite government ban on hemp flower

Written by CannIntelligence | 18th June 2025

A security decree banning the sale of hemp flower in Italy has come into effect, but many business operators say they intend to continue their activities ...

Italy’s top court rules that oral CBD products are prescription drugs

Written by CannIntelligence | 30th April 2025

Italy’s Regional Administrative Court (TAR) has dismissed an appeal challenging the Ministry of Health’s decree to classify oral CBD products as narcotics ...

UK regulators act on CBD: MHRA draws a hard line, whereas FSA softens its stance

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 17th April 2025

The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has drawn a clear line on CBD’s medical claims. Meanwhile, the Food Standards Agency has softened its stance on allowable levels of THC in food ...

Italy’s looming CBD ban triggers fears of a potential shutdown of its hemp industry

Written by CannIntelligence | 9th April 2025

Italy’s government has invoked its emergency powers to issue a decree on security matters, The new decree includes a ban on the import, processing, distribution and sale of CBD flowers, also known as “cannabis light”...

How might Trump’s confirmed nominees and his US DEA pick impact the industry?

Written by Freddie Dawson | 18th February 2025

The nomination of Terrance Cole as head of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is unlikely to be great overall for either the cannabis or intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoid (IHDC) industries ...

Do US cannabis companies need to resort to drastic measures to stay in business?

Written by Freddie Dawson | 31st January 2025

Cannabis companies have been pushing the envelope of acceptable marketing and business practices by insinuating unproven benefits for their products while also looking to create the strongest goods possible ...

How Italy’s ban on driving with any THC in the body could affect the hemp industry

Written by CannIntelligence | 13th January 2025

Under a new law, cannabis users driving on Italian roads could find themselves in legal trouble when stopped by the authorities, even if they are not under the influence at the time ...

Allowed levels of THC in UK CBD products to be much lower than Home Office limit

Written by Freddie Dawson | 16th December 2024

Permitted THC levels in CBD products in the UK will be below Home Office drug law levels, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), though a specific amount has not been announced ...

UK FSA takes another step towards first approvals of ingestible CBD products

Written by Freddie Dawson | 13th December 2024

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) board met on 11th December to discuss a recent report on progress towards approval of an ingestible CBD product in the country ...

On the latest Trump picks for attorney general and to head FDA and agriculture

Written by Freddie Dawson | 12th December 2024

The ever-changing make-up of US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominees for posts in his administration – still far from set in stone – offers a few new options that will impact on cannabis and hemp ...

CBD firm founder’s personal post deemed an unauthorised health claim by UK ASA

Written by Freddie Dawson | 13th November 2024

Even the most general of positive statements can be construed as a health claim, according to the latest CBD ruling from the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ...

UK NHS study first to test CBD and THC drugs together in treatment of epilepsy

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 30th October 2024

Two CBD- and THC-based drugs to treat child epilepsy will be tested on 500 patients countrywide in the UK next year in a trial by researchers at University College London and Great Ormond Street Hospital...

Under the new European Commission, who will mind health and food safety?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 30th September 2024

Some fear healthcare and food safety will not be among the main concerns of the next European Commission after the Commission president unveiled the new commissioners’ respective tasks ...

Brazilian pharmaceutical company acquires Colombian cannabis giant

Written by CannIntelligence | 30th September 2024

Brazilian pharmaceutical company Ease Labs officially announced the acquisition this month of Plena, a cannabis cultivation and extraction company based in Colombia ...

UK ASA says no to CBD web guidance on under-age use and maximum daily dose

Written by Freddie Dawson | 20th September 2024

CBD company websites must follow UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) guidelines – even though they are recommendations only – as demonstrated by two new rulings from the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) ...

Epidiolex misses trial’s efficacy goal in Japan as it aims for drug authorisation

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 28th August 2024

Clinical trials on CBD-based medical drug Epidiolex missed their main goal of registering a significant reduction in the frequency of seizures experienced by patients in Japan, based on the results reported by manufacturer Jazz Pharmaceuticals...

Could Italy’s latest attempt at banning hemp be the one that hits its mark?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 8th August 2024

After a few back-and-forths, Italian authorities may actually kill the country’s CBD sector by simply passing a minor amendment to a major soon-to-be-approved bill, banning hemp flower and its extracts regardless of their THC content...

Italian amendment reintroduced that could leave CBD, hemp sector in ruins

Written by CannIntelligence | 6th August 2024

The proposed and withdrawn amendment to ban CBD products in Italy has reappeared as part of a bill aimed at enhancing public safety and combating crime ...

The long road to EFSA authorisation for CBD as novel food in the European Union

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 20th May 2024

In June 2022, the European Food Safety Authority broke some very bad news to CBD companies applying for their products to be authorised as novel food in the European Union ...

UK FSA novel food committee gives CBD brands first positive safety assessments

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 6th May 2024

UK-based CBD brands Cannaray and Pureis are the first to obtain a positive safety assessment from the Food and Standards Agency (FSA) Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes ...

Report recommends changes to Canada’s cannabis law to deal with industry issues

Written by CannIntelligence | 3rd April 2024

An expert panel report that could set the stage for changes in coming months in the way cannabis is bought, sold and marketed across Canada is recommending wide-ranging amendments to the country’s cannabis law ...

UNESCO declares CBD store in suburban US shopping mall a World Heritage Site

Written by CannIntelligence | 1st April 2024

CBDeelite has today (1st April) been declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO), in an effort to preserve some of the CBD era for future generations ...

Czech Republic bans semi-synthetics amid debate over cannabis regulation

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 15th March 2024

Shortly after drafting its first proposal on cannabis regulation, the Czech government has banned semi-synthetic cannabinoids HHC, HHC acetate (HHC-O) and tetrahydrocannabiforol (THCP) ...

UK ASA ruling on Supreme CBD social media posts: that’s advertising all right

Written by Freddie Dawson | 22nd February 2024

If you get paid for increasing sales of a product, you’re promoting that product. That seems like a simple enough concept, yet it’s one that, according to the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), influencers and...

22nd Century sells its hemp/cannabis business to cut debt and operating costs

Written by Freddie Dawson | 29th November 2023

US-based 22nd Century will sell its hemp/cannabis subsidiary, GVB Biopharma, to an entity affiliated with current GVB employees and will use the sale proceeds to pay off debt and further deleverage its balance sheet ...

Extension of Farm Bill coverage to 2024 means good news for the US hemp sector

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 27th November 2023

US hemp farmers will be able to continue operating under the 2018 Farm Bill framework until the end of September next year, as stopgap funding was approved and signed into law by president Joe Biden...

Japan’s first medical cannabis law: ‘historic shift’ or crackdown on illicit use?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 17th November 2023

Japan’s first medical cannabis law may end up only legalising a single pharmaceutical product, while also criminalising recreational cannabis consumption ...

Weaker demand for hemp and cannabis products impacts 22nd Century’s revenue

Written by Freddie Dawson | 7th November 2023

22nd Century reported decreased revenues for the third quarter of 2023 and blamed demand challenges in its hemp/cannabis product distribution business, although this still represents the biggest part of its net revenue ...

Poland’s next coalition government may take a more liberal stance on cannabis

Written by CannIntelligence | 27th October 2023

A coalition of centre-right, liberal, and left-wing forces is the most likely to form a new government in Poland before the end of the year, following elections held on 15th October ...

New Zealand reclassifies low-dose CBD medical products, effects yet to be seen

Written by Fernanda Tucunduva | 24th October 2023

Low-dose CBD products can now be supplied in New Zealand by registered pharmacists without a prescription after Medsafe reclassified CBD from a prescription-only medicine to a restricted (pharmacist-only) medicine ...

CBD regulatory progress in US Congress grinds to a halt in partisan gridlock

Written by CannIntelligence | 18th October 2023

Partisan gridlock continues to keep Congress from clarifying the regulatory framework for CBD. Even as the Biden administration moves to reschedule cannabis, Congress punts CBD issues back and forth with the FDA ...

EIHA and German hemp organisations urge government to fine-tune legislation

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 3rd October 2023

As the German government pushes ahead with its work creating a new legal framework for cannabis in the country, hemp and cannabis associations are urging politicians to fine-tune the current draft of the legislation ...

Struggling industry blames FDA as Canadian companies leave US market

Written by CannIntelligence | 7th September 2023

Another major Canadian cannabinoid company is leaving the US market amid concerns over the regulatory environment some say the US Food and Drug Administration has caused ...

Italy’s classification of CBD extracts as pharmaceuticals riles cannabis firms

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 6th September 2023

Cannabis companies in Italy are opposing a government decree that will become effective on 20th September and may outlaw CBD oils for oral use in the country ...

Is the cannabis sector failing to ensure gender equality at its own expense?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 17th July 2023

Women started entering the cannabis sector right at its beginning, and by 2015 over one third of US executives in cannabis companies were female. In 2017 this figure was down to 26% ...

US FDA and FTC join together in warning producers of delta-8 THC ingestibles

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 10th July 2023

The US Federal Trade Commission and Food and Drug Administration have sent warning letters to six sellers of delta-8 THC edibles whose packaging is very similar to that of popular snacks and sweets for children...

France puts wheels in motion that could get CBD cosmetics banned across Europe

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 16th June 2023

France has started a process that could end with a Europe-wide ban on CBD-containing cosmetic products if an EU assessment finds them not safe for consumers’ reproductive health ...

French guidelines on CBD supplements: big deal or much ado about nothing?

Written by CannIntelligence | 6th June 2023

France has created temporary guidelines allowing CBD companies to register their products as food supplements pending authorisation under the EU’s upcoming novel foods regulation ...

Revised German cannabis plan triggers black market fears, disappoints firms

Written by CannIntelligence | 30th May 2023

The German government has scaled back its plan to establish a national commercial recreational cannabis market with a two-part reform framework that would legalise possession, home cultivation and cannabis clubs ...

Czech government stops ban on CBD-containing food products before it starts

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 22nd May 2023

The Czech government will no longer go forward with a proposed measure to ban sales of food products containing CBD which was due to come into effect in mid-June ...

Czech controversy as minister announces action against ‘banned’ CBD products

Written by CannIntelligence | 10th May 2023

The Czech Republic is to start taking action against ingestible cannabinoid products in a move believed to be part of a general tightening of enforcement of current regulations ...

Twitter policy on cannabis advertising remains obscure after latest shift

Written by Freddie Dawson | 9th May 2023

Twitter has claimed to have made another “major” step forward in cannabis advertising. But again the devil is in the details, which remain vague and contradictory ...

Mexican presidents past and present have public spat over cannabis permits

Written by CannIntelligence | 5th May 2023

Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador alleged that cannabis permits awarded to companies linked to former president Vicente Fox in 2018 involved influence peddling and corruption ...

Cookies teams up with e-cigarette maker to supply CBD vaporisers across the US

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 4th May 2023

California-based e-cigarette manufacturer Ispire Technology has signed a partnership with US cannabis brand Cookies to sell CBD vapes across the United States ...

UK FSA selects Deloitte to review novel foods process, including CBD products

Written by CannIntelligence | 21st April 2023

Auditing firm Deloitte is to review the UK Food Standards Agency’s novel foods process in a £130,000 contract. The government committed to reviewing the process in January 2022, taking advantage of Brexit ...

Belgium to outlaw sales of cannabinoid and nicotine pouches later this year

Written by CannIntelligence | 14th April 2023

The sale of cannabinoid pouches in Belgium has been banned along with nicotine pouches on the grounds the latter pose a danger to public health, particularly due to their potential for addiction ...

22nd Century signs three-year deal to produce and distribute Cookies across US

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 6th April 2023

Biotechnology company 22nd Century Group has announced a new three-year exclusive licence and distribution agreement with the US cannabis company Cookies ...

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