CBD Germany vs France: two markets, two sets of rules in 2026

The CanG law (Cannabisgesetz) came into force on 1 April 2024 in Germany, authorising the possession and personal cultivation of cannabis for recreational use, according to the Bundesgesundheitsministerium. That framework has profoundly changed the perception of cannabis across the Rhine, including for hemp-derived products such as CBD.

In this context, German CBD operates in an environment that is broadly more permissive than the French framework, even though recreational cannabis and CBD remain two distinct legal categories. Legalising the former does not erase the specific rules applicable to the latter, in particular on authorised THC contents.

France has not opened the way to recreational cannabis and regulates CBD as a wellness product, subject to strict rules on its composition and its uses. The 0.3% THC threshold, the limits on health claims and, more recently, the withdrawal of ingested CBD all reflect a cautious, procedural approach.

This difference in philosophy explains why two consumers, one in Strasbourg and the other in Kehl on the other side of the Rhine, can find themselves facing very different rules for a product that looks much the same.

Despite this restrictive framework, France remains the 2nd European CBD market, behind Germany, according to a Xerfi study. That position is explained by consumer demand established over several years, driven by flowers, resins and cosmetics, categories not covered by the Novel Food regulation.

The size of the French market therefore rests on specific segments rather than on the CBD range as a whole. Our progress report on the Novel Food regulation in July 2026 sets out precisely what remains legal in France today.

In France, ingested CBD without Novel Food authorisation has been withdrawn from sale since 15 May 2026, according to the DGAL. Food oils, infusions and CBD confectionery have therefore left the shelves, for lack of a validated European assessment to date.

Germany also applies the European Novel Food regulation, which is common to all member states, but its broader cannabis market appreciably changes the context of consumption and the perception of CBD among the general public and distributors.

A French consumer cannot rely on German rules to judge what is authorised at home, and vice versa. CBD flowers and resins remain legal in France below the 0.3% THC threshold, as our article on the order governing the sale of CBD flowers points out.

Travelling between the two countries with CBD products therefore means checking the framework applicable at the destination, without assuming that legality observed on one side of the Rhine automatically applies on the other.

Is recreational cannabis legal in France as it is in Germany?

No. Only Germany has legalised recreational cannabis, through the CanG law that came into force on 1 April 2024, according to the Bundesgesundheitsministerium. France has adopted no equivalent reform.

Is France a small CBD market compared with Germany?

No, France remains the 2nd European CBD market, just behind Germany, according to Xerfi. Its demand centres above all on flowers, resins and cosmetics.

Can you still buy CBD to drink or eat in France?

No. Since 15 May 2026, ingested CBD without Novel Food authorisation has been withdrawn from sale in France, according to the DGAL. Flowers, resins and cosmetics, on the other hand, remain available.

Do German CBD rules apply in France?

No. Each country applies its own rules, within the shared European law on Novel Food. A product that is legal in Germany is not automatically compliant with the French framework.