CBN + THC gummies: why they are banned in France

In the United States, gummies marketed for sleep contain a few milligrams of CBN (cannabinol) and a few milligrams of THC. French law catches them under two distinct rules.

The first rule is that THC is a narcotic. Hemp is exempted by the decree of 30 December 2021 on two conditions: the variety must be listed in the official catalogues, and the plant and its extracts must contain no more than 0.30% Δ⁹-THC. Above that threshold, a product is a narcotic. The ANSM and Anses restated this in their press release of 19 June 2025: selling, buying and consuming it are prohibited in any form. The threshold is explained in our article on the legal THC level.

The second rule concerns food. The Ministry of Agriculture declared foods enriched with cannabinoid extracts, THC or other narcotic molecules illegal on 20 May 2026, food supplements included. It relies on the EU novel food regulation, under which none of these ingredients has been authorised.

The food rule carries more weight than it first appears. In a 4 g gummy dosed at 5 mg of THC, THC is 0.125% of the mass, under the 0.30% threshold. On percentage alone, the gummy would escape narcotics law. The ban on enriched foods applies whatever the content. Our article on CBD gummies traces what this rule did to a very common format.

The 2018 US farm law, the Farm Bill, defines hemp as containing at most 0.3% delta-9-THC on a dry weight basis. Manufacturers applied that percentage to finished products. For a 4 g gummy, 0.3% of the weight comes to 12 mg of THC, which is enough for a psychoactive effect within the letter of the law. Drinks, gummies and THCA-rich products went on sale on that basis.

The loophole is being closed. A law signed at the end of 2025 redefines hemp and caps finished products at 0.4 mg of total THC per container, THCA included. It was due to take effect on 12 November 2026, but a law signed on 2 September 2026 moved that date to 11 December 2026. From 12 November, cannabinoids the plant does not produce naturally lose their status.

CBN is formed when THC oxidises, and no narcotics list includes it. When the ANSM classified H4CBD, THCP and other derivatives from 3 June 2024, its decision even excluded CBN and CBNA by name. That decision also leaves THCA permitted in hemp whose THC stays below 0.3%.

Do not confuse CBN with HHC, classified as a narcotic since 13 June 2023, or with THCP; these decisions are traced in our HHC timeline. For the chemistry of the two molecules, see our article CBD vs CBN.

CBN may escape narcotics law, yet it cannot be sold in every form. In a gummy or a capsule, with or without THC, it comes under the 20 May 2026 ban on enriched foods.

There are few human studies of CBN itself. Of the two controlled trials published, the larger one, which appeared in 2024, followed 293 adults for seven nights at 20 mg a day. Such data cannot establish a long-term safety profile, and the effect of repeated use over months is unknown. Both published trials are summarised in our article on CBN in France.

The documented risk lies elsewhere. The ANSM and Anses, in their June 2025 press release, report several hundred poisonings since early 2024 among people who had used products presented as containing CBD. THC or synthetic cannabinoids were the cause in most cases. The agencies cite a 2023 study by the addiction-monitoring centres of Lyon, Paris and Montpellier, in which 8 products out of 10 had a CBD content that differed from the label.

The symptoms reported run from drowsiness and nausea to rapid heartbeat, hallucinations, loss of consciousness and seizures. The agencies also give two warnings. Products labelled "strong" carry the highest risk, and CBD taken with certain medicines can reduce their effectiveness or increase their side effects. An imported gummy with no checks combines these risks. Swallowed THC adds one more. According to a 2003 pharmacology review, its psychoactive effects start 30 to 90 minutes after ingestion and last 4 to 12 hours depending on the dose. That delay can lead people to take another gummy too soon. Our article on THC gummies details this timing.

Then there is driving. The Cour de cassation ruled on 21 June 2023 that driving after using narcotics is an offence whatever the dose. According to the service-public.fr page on drug driving, it carries 3 years in prison, a €9,000 fine and the loss of 6 points from the licence.

A buyer who orders these gummies from a US website brings a banned product into France, and a narcotic once the THC falls outside the authorised hemp framework. Article 222-36 of the French Penal Code sets 10 years in prison and a €7,500,000 fine for the illegal import of narcotics, with no exception for personal use. A seller based in France comes under article 222-37, which applies the same penalties to offering, supplying and possessing narcotics.

Whether the product is legal where it comes from makes no difference: a gummy sold freely in a US state is banned once it reaches France. Drinks and oils are covered in our article on ingested THC in France.

Flowers and resins from authorised hemp varieties with no more than 0.30% Δ⁹-THC can still be sold, provided they are not presented as food, and the same goes for CBD cosmetics. None of these products may claim an effect on sleep, since such a claim would bring it under the medicines regime. For persistent insomnia, the French National Authority for Health recommends sleep hygiene and cognitive behavioural therapy before any medication, with a doctor.

The authorised formats are listed in our overview of CBD regulation in 2026, and the laboratory page explains how to read an analysis.