Whereas data from the emerging legal cannabis industry of various nations is fairly easy to locate, it appears that this is not the case for Belgium. The European nation is home to a legal cannabis industry, but pinning down how big it currently is is not easy. For this article, Belgium’s industrial hemp sector is not included and is to be considered separate from the non-hemp cannabis industry.
As it stands, the sale of medical cannabis products is not permitted in Belgium, with the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products stating on its website that “Pharmacists in Belgium may not legally dispense cannabis for medical purposes (Royal Decree dated June 11, 2015 on the regulation of products that contain one or more tetrahydrocannabinols).”
The government agency also lists the following on its website:
- Possessing, using or dealing in cannabis seeds is punishable by law if they can develop into cannabis plants with a THC content of more than 0.3%.
- Cultivating cannabis plants that result in cannabis with a THC content of higher than 0.3% is illegal.
- Associations that combine individual harvests for personal consumption by their members are illegal and subject to criminal prosecution.
In Belgium, only Sativex and Epidyolex can be prescribed, although Epidyolex is not currently being dispensed by pharmacists. With adult-use sales of products containing more than .3% THC being prohibited in Belgium, and medical cannabis products basically being limited to Sativex, the only legal cannabis sector in Belgium right now is CBD products, and even then, it depends on the type of CBD product being sold.
“The law considers nutritional supplements enriched with CBD as novel foods. Manufacturers of novel foods may not sell them without prior authorisation. No nutritional supplement with CBD has received such an authorisation.” The Belgian government states on its website. “In Belgium, it is forbidden to sell hemp-based nutritional supplements and other foodstuffs and preparations as foodstuffs.”
“Cannabis extracts and tinctures are prohibited, with the exception of extracts that are exclusively made from seeds and leaves and thus not from the blooming or fruit-bearing buds of the cannabis plant.” the government states about CBD-based cosmetics.
Regarding ‘cannabis light’ CBD products described as being “intended for smoking cessation,” those products are permitted in Belgium as long as they meet the following criteria:
- The THC content must be lower than 0.3%.
- Dealers must not sell them as herbal tea or potpourri.
- They may not assert that they have health benefits (therapeutic indications), such as “analgesic”, “stress-reducing”, “promotes sleep”.
- The products must bear a fiscal symbol because they are considered smoking tobacco-equivalent products subject to excise duty.
With all of that in mind, Statista estimates that Belgium’s CBD product industry is expected to sell $61.63 million (USD) worth of products in 2025, although that projection needs to be taken with a grain of salt due to surging demand for cannabis light products in Belgium and a shifting regulatory landscape.