Rise in adulterated cannabis in France, as edible CBD ban shakes industry
France's illicit drug market is becoming increasingly unpredictable, with users unknowingly ingesting substances that are not what they thought, according to a report released by the French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT).
The report is based on data collected through the National Identification System for Drugs and Substances (SINTES), which collects samples from drug users, to track the composition of drugs, particularly when they provoke “unusual and undesirable effects”.
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Adulterated products
Sampling in 2025 showed a sharp increase in adulterated drugs overall, from cocaine to heroin – a third of samples were impacted, a significant increase from previous years.
The report highlighted adulterated cannabis products in particular, in a market that it described as “more and more varied, with compositions that expose users to risks that are difficult to anticipate before they are consumed”.
France has one of Europe's highest rates of cannabis consumption, and while the production and sale of CBD products is legal, recreational marijuana use is illegal and subject to some of the continent's toughest sanctions.
While most recreational marijuana users continue to use cannabis resin and flowers, the market is shifting quickly, with other products gaining in popularity – including edibles such as gummies, sweets and baked goods, and vape liquids.
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Among the cannabis products that SINTES analysed, several were contaminated with other compounds, ranging from glass microbeads that increase the product's weight, to varying and unexpected levels of THC, the psychoactive component of the plant.
The report notes that an increasing variation in THC potency makes a given product's strength and effects more difficult to anticipate, and it documented a rise in unexpected effects and adverse reactions consistent with THC intoxication, including hallucinations, anxiety, psychotic episodes, vomiting and loss of consciousness.
In some instances where consumers believed they were buying CBD products, testing revealed significant THC content. Legal CBD products must contain no more than 0.3 percent THC.
A 'political' ban
France effectively banned their sale in May, to address the issues of poorly labelled or incorrectly dosed ingestible CBD products. Authorities cited safety concerns, and the fact that edible cannabis products had not been approved by the European Union food agency.
Than ban applies to products that fall under the EU's definition of food, which does not include hemp flowers, resins and vape liquids, as well as cosmetic products.
The cannabis industry has called the ban a political decision, not grounded in science.
The Union of CBD professionals said the ban "makes absolutely no sense", because it targets a single consumption method – consumers can continue smoking and ingesting CBD flowers, but they cannot eat a gummy made from the same plant.
Industry bodies say that CBD edibles and dietary supplements make up about 40 percent of France's hemp industry sales, and the ban would impact the country's 2,000 hemp producers and 1,500 specialised shops, along with the 20,000 pharmacies that carry CBD products.