In February 2022, the Association of Cantonal Chemists of Switzerland (VKCS) reported supposed health risks of CBD-infused foods. To make CBD-infused aromatic oils undrinkable and prevent misuse, the Federal Registration Office for Chemists has decided that these CBD oils should only be sold in a denatured form from now on. However, the industry association IG Hanf hopes for better and broader economic use of the various forms of the hemp plant and its products. The association is calling on lawmakers to completely rethink the legal framework and introduce modern, comprehensive cannabis laws. The current decision is seen as a disproportionate measure.
CBD Oil with Flavoring
On March 24, 2022, the Chemicals Registration Office decided that CBD aromatic oils must now include a denaturing agent. This is usually done to protect people from dangerous substances like cleaning products when ingesting them could be harmful. By denaturing, CBD oil with added flavors is made undrinkable to prevent accidental or intentional ingestion. Non-denatured CBD oils marketed as chemicals and already on the market before March 24 can only be sold for a 6-month transition period.
With this latest move by the authorities, the Swiss cannabis industry once again feels blindsided. They have long argued that the confusing, arbitrary, and inconsistent handling of CBD products by authorities is due to unsatisfactory legal conditions around cannabis. “As a growing industry, we feel abandoned by the authorities. The rising demand for CBD products in Switzerland is almost impossible to meet because of unclear and complicated regulations.
No Danger from CBD
Even though the WHO has confirmed several times that CBD poses no significant risks or side effects, hardly anyone in the industry—and even fewer consumers—understand this new measure. Especially since, as far as we know, there hasn’t been a single case of any health issues after accidentally ingesting CBD aromatic oil!” says Thomas Bär, Vice President of IG Hanf. The association is therefore pushing for comprehensive and consistent regulations for the cannabis industry to create legal certainty for production, trade, and use of hemp and cannabis products, and to ensure consumer protection. Unfortunately, past efforts to start a dialogue with authorities have so far gone unheard.
Most CBD aromatic oils marketed as chemicals in Switzerland are so-called full-plant extracts, which may contain traces of THC (up to 1%). Because of current contaminant regulations, these products are hardly eligible for approval as food in Switzerland.
CBD oils marketed as chemicals were never intended for oral use by definition. As long as these products are properly registered and carry the required hazard and safety warnings on the packaging, they have been completely legitimate up to now.
CBD Oil Gets Consumed Despite Safety Warnings
Apparently, many customers ignored the “not for consumption” label on the packaging. While this misuse is unfortunate, the consequences are manageable, so tightening regulations by forcing denaturing is clearly over the top. It seems that after decades of demonizing the hemp plant, even the legal parts of hemp are now seen as so controversial that they face much stricter regulations than other products.
According to IG Hanf, the new general ruling from the Federal Chemicals Registration Office effectively strips an entire market of its legitimacy. Previously, all relevant federal agencies had confirmed the basic legality of CBD in guidance documents since 2017. The latest version of the CBD guidelines even states: “…CBD products like aromatic oils can definitely be legally sold under chemical regulations.”
This new rule will likely have a big impact on the booming hemp industry. With the authorities’ green light, an entire sector has sprung up in Switzerland over the last five years, creating hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs that are now at serious risk.
The approach taken by the authorities must be called counterproductive. The effective ban on CBD oils as chemicals by a general ruling from an enforcement agency bypasses the normal legislative process. The consequences are predictable: since demand for CBD oil won’t go down, customers will be forced to buy their products abroad or on the black market, making quality control and consumer protection impossible.
With the acceptance of the Minder postulate ("Legal certainty for the production, trade, and use of hemp/cannabis products") on June 16, 2021 in the Council of States (30 to 6 votes), things are finally starting to move regarding a comprehensive review of cannabis regulation. The initiative aims to make the different forms of the hemp plant (cannabis) more economically usable. The goal is to introduce a modern and comprehensive cannabis regulation (including health, food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, road traffic, tobacco products, and customs law) that takes into account realistic risks and consumer protection.
In addition, with the parliamentary initiative by Heinz Siegenthaler, steps are currently being taken in Bern to develop cannabis market regulations for better youth protection.
Source:
https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/der-verkauf-von-cbd-oelen-soll-eingeschraenkt-werden-651506759554
Comments (0)
There are no comments for this article. Be the first one to leave a message!