Is CBD toxic to reproduction? What ANSES has proposed

In March 2025 ANSES submitted a proposal for a harmonised classification of CBD at European level, in category 1B of substances "presumed toxic to reproduction" (source: ANSES, 2025). This type of classification is based on the CLP Regulation, which governs the labelling of chemical substances in the European Union.

In practice, the move forms part of a standard scientific assessment process. ANSES compiles a dossier, submits it to the competent European bodies, and other member states and experts then examine the proposal before any final decision. So this is an investigative stage, not an enacted ban.

It is worth remembering that this type of procedure can take several years before it results in a binding text. The ANSES proposal opens a scientific and regulatory debate; on its own it does not change the legal status of CBD in France.

H360FD and H362 are standardised hazard codes used in the European labelling of chemical products (source: ANSES, 2025). H360FD flags a presumed risk to fertility and to the unborn child; H362 concerns a possible risk to children who are breastfed.

These statements are not specific to CBD: they exist for a great many substances, including some common cosmetic or pharmaceutical actives. They are assigned according to a logic of regulatory precaution, based on the data available at the time of assessment.

If this classification were confirmed at European level, manufacturers would in time have to display these statements on the labelling of certain products. That would primarily concern concentrated forms of CBD, rather than low-dose cosmetics.

[INTERNAL-LINK: CBD, pregnancy and breastfeeding → /blog/cbd-grossesse-allaitement-risques-precautions]

To date, no immediate regulatory consequence follows from this proposal alone: it still has to be examined at European level before any decision. In the meantime, the precautionary recommendations already in force in France remain the reference for the consumers concerned.

ANSM and ANSES already advise against any consumption of CBD during pregnancy and breastfeeding (source: ANSM/ANSES). This recommendation existed before the 1B classification proposal; it rests on the fact that CBD can cross certain biological barriers and that long-term data remain limited.

For other consumers, the ANSES proposal does not change the framework for buying or selling CBD in France, which remains set by the order of 30 December 2021 on the THC threshold. The two subjects, the THC threshold and toxicological classification, follow distinct regulatory logics.

A classification proposal is not proof of a generalised danger: it reflects a precautionary approach that still has to be validated by the competent European bodies. It is therefore worth following the progress of the dossier without anticipating a ban that, at this stage, is neither enacted nor certain.

That said, the convergence between the ANSES proposal and the recommendations already issued by ANSM on pregnancy and breastfeeding deserves to be taken seriously by the people concerned. A signal sent by two separate health agencies, on different methodological bases, carries more weight than an isolated alert.

For the general public not concerned by pregnancy or breastfeeding, this development remains above all a regulatory watch item to monitor over the coming months.

Is CBD now banned in France?

No. The ANSES proposal is a request for a European toxicological classification, not a ban. The current legal framework, based on the 0.3% THC threshold, remains unchanged to date.

What does "category 1B" mean?

It is a category of the European CLP Regulation designating substances presumed toxic to reproduction on the basis of data judged sufficient, without amounting to absolute certainty (source: ANSES, 2025).

Does this classification concern all CBD products?

The proposal targets the CBD molecule itself. How it would apply in practice to each product category (oils, flowers, cosmetics) will depend on the implementing texts that would be adopted after European validation.

Should you stop taking CBD as a precaution?

This individual decision should be discussed with a healthcare professional, especially in the case of pregnancy, breastfeeding or plans to conceive. CBD is never a substitute for medical advice.