In France, a bill has been before the Senate since 8 October 2026 that aims to bring comprehensive order to the CBD flower market for the first time. The Green senator Guillaume Gontard and 16 other senators propose a digital hemp register, a licensing requirement for CBD shops and a tolerance threshold of 2 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood in road traffic. Nothing has been passed yet, but the text shows where the debate in the French CBD market is heading.
📑 Inhaltsverzeichnis
- CBD bill in the French Senate: who is behind it
- Hemp register and batch requirement: traceability from field to shop
- CBD shops will in future need an operating license
- 2 nanograms of THC behind the wheel: farewell to zero tolerance?
- Assessment: What the Draft Means for the European CBD Market
- Frequently Asked Questions
- 💬 Fragen? Frag den Hanf-Buddy!
CBD bill in the French Senate: who is behind it
The bill is registered under number 21 of the 2026–2027 session and has been referred to the Committee on Social Affairs. It was presented at a press conference on 13 October. It is supported by the two industry associations UPCBD and AFPC, which represent retailers and producers of natural CBD. It is a parliamentary initiative from the opposition, not a government bill. Whether and when the Senate will deliberate on it remains open.
The initiative comes at a time when France is taking a rather hard line on cannabis. Only this summer, Paris raised the flat-rate fine for consumers, as we described in our article on the RIPOST law and the 500-euro fine. Since May, CBD edibles have also been banned in France. The flowers themselves, by contrast, have been tradable again since the end of 2022, after the highest administrative court overturned a ban. Background on this is provided by our older article on how France regulates the trade in CBD flowers.
Hemp register and batch requirement: traceability from field to shop
The core of the bill is a new chapter in the French Public Health Code. It defines „raw hemp flowers“ as flowers of Cannabis sativa L. whose THC content is below the national and European limit. For these goods, an electronic register is to be created, the „casier chanvrier informatisé“. Producers report their plots, varieties, harvest quantities and stock levels there. Importers report quantities, origin, varieties and supporting documents.
Each harvest from a plot and each import shipment forms its own batch with its own register entry. Without this allocation, no product may be placed on the market, not even as a free giveaway. Customs, the consumer protection authority, the police and the gendarmerie, as well as health and agricultural authorities, would get access to the data. Importers must be established in the EU or appoint a responsible representative there. Anyone who does not register risks a fine of up to 7,500 euros as a private individual and up to 37,500 euros as a company.
In future, every package is to show the country of origin, batch number, a conformity notice, the ban on supply to minors and a warning for pregnant women. A rule of evidence is of interest to the industry: anyone who presents the appropriate register documents during transport will have their goods presumed legal at first. This is meant to give retailers more certainty during checks on the road.
CBD shops will in future need an operating license
Anyone wishing to open a CBD shop would have to notify the municipality at least 15 days in advance, or in Paris the police prefecture. The business may only be operated with an operating license. This is granted after training on the legal situation, youth protection, traceability and liability. Sales to people under 18 would be expressly prohibited, and staff would have to require proof of age. Vending machines could only dispense CBD flowers with effective age verification.
For violations, the bill provides a graduated scale: warning, fine, temporary shutdown, withdrawal of the license and closure. For tax purposes, products based on raw hemp flowers are to be removed from the reduced VAT rates for food. Intermediate products from processing, which can be higher in THC, are to cease being a criminal offense within registered processing businesses, but may not be sold unprocessed.
2 nanograms of THC behind the wheel: farewell to zero tolerance?
The most politically sensitive point concerns road traffic. In France, so far, proof of THC in the body is enough for a criminal offence, regardless of the concentration. The draft wants an exception: if the THC demonstrably comes from legal CBD products and the level is no more than 2 nanograms per millilitre of blood, no offence is to be deemed committed. Driving under the influence of cannabis remains prohibited; the rule is aimed at CBD consumers with traces in their blood.
For comparison: in Germany, a limit of 3.5 nanograms of THC per millilitre of blood serum has applied since August 2024, as our overview of the THC limit in road traffic explains. Because of the different measurement media, the values are not directly comparable. The direction is the same, however: away from mere detection, towards a value that at least makes impairment plausible.
Assessment: What the Draft Means for the European CBD Market
Swift adoption is not to be expected, since the draft comes from the opposition and has no government support. Even so, the text is remarkable because the industry itself is calling for stricter rules. A register obligation, shop licensing and age verification are the price the associations are willing to pay for legal certainty. Similar questions are currently occupying several countries: in Italy, the Constitutional Court has postponed its decision on the hemp flower ban. At EU level, the first positive EFSA opinion on CBD sets a narrow framework for food.
Germany, too, is discussing legal certainty for hemp farmers and traders. On 14 October, the Bundestag’s Committee on Agriculture dealt with a Green Party draft that would delete the so-called abuse clause in the Consumer Cannabis Act and raise the THC limit for industrial hemp to 1 percent. France’s draft bill takes a different path: it relies on seamless control rather than a loosening of the definition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are CBD flowers currently legal in France?
Yes, CBD flowers with a THC content below the legal limit may be sold in France, since the country’s highest administrative court overturned a sales ban at the end of 2022. Foods containing CBD, on the other hand, have been prohibited since May 2026. There is so far no dedicated law for the flower trade.
What is the planned hemp register?
The „casier chanvrier informatisé“ would be a state database in which producers and importers report every batch. It would record cultivation areas, varieties, quantities, stock levels and the origin of imported goods. Customs, police and consumer protection authorities could access it.
What is supposed to change for driving after CBD consumption?
So far in France, any detection of THC is enough for a criminal offence. The draft provides that up to 2 nanograms of THC per millilitre of blood would go unpunished if the THC comes from legal CBD products. Driving under the influence of cannabis would remain prohibited.
When could the law come into force?
No date has been set. The draft is with the Senate’s Social Affairs Committee and must pass both chambers of parliament. Since it comes from the opposition and is not backed by the government, it is unclear whether it will even make it onto the agenda.
Who supports the proposal?
It was introduced by the Green senator Guillaume Gontard together with 16 other members of the Senate. The industry associations UPCBD and AFPC support the text because it would give the trade in natural CBD a clear legal framework.
Sollte Deutschland ein ähnliches Hanfregister für CBD einführen?
Sources: Sénat, Proposition de loi n° 21 (2026–2027) „visant à encadrer la production, la traçabilité, la distribution et certains usages des produits à base de cannabidiol“, submitted on 8 October 2026; BubatzNews, 14 October 2026.
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