History of hemp in France
From medieval cordage to modern artisanal CBD: 1000 years of French hemp history, between agricultural decline and contemporary renaissance.
History of hemp in France
France has had a continuous millennial relationship with hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), one of the oldest cultivated plants in Europe. Once a strategic crop for the navy, then almost extinct in the 20th century, it is experiencing a contemporary renaissance carried by the food, textile, construction industries — and the artisanal CBD industry.
Origins and medieval era (until the 16th century)
Hemp was probably introduced into Gaul during antiquity, but its widespread cultivation dates back to the Middle Ages. Hemp serves to:
- Make ropes and rigging for ships
- Weave canvas (sails, sheets, military uniforms)
- Produce hemp paper (used by Gutenberg in the 15th century)
- Feed (hemp seeds rich in essential fatty acids)
- Heal (hemp poultices, hemp oils mentioned in herbalist treatises)
Hemp regions emerge: Anjou, Poitou, Brittany, Champagne, Auvergne.
Royal era and the navy (17th-18th century)
The French Royal Navy is the largest consumer of hemp in the country. A 'first-rate ship of the line' needs 80 tons of hemp for its rigging, sails and ropes. Cardinal Richelieu institutes a strategic hemp policy: tax exemptions for producers, prohibitions on exports.
In 1762, Antoine Parmentier publishes work on hemp (and at the same time, on the potato — see Antoine Parmentier).
Louis XIV demands that each parish reserve a parcel for hemp. The crop reaches its maximum extension around 1800: 180,000 hectares.
Industrial decline (19th century)
Industrialization marks the gradual collapse of French hemp:
- Cotton (cheaper, more flexible) replaces hemp in textiles
- Steel cables and steam machines replace hemp ropes
- Wood pulp displaces hemp paper
- The opening of trade with sisal and Asian jute eliminates remaining demand
By 1900, French hemp acreage had dropped to 30,000 hectares.
20th century: prohibition and revival (1950-2000)
The 1950s mark a paradoxical era:
- International prohibition on psychoactive cannabis (Single Convention 1961)
- But French industrial hemp is preserved thanks to low THC varieties (the famous 'fiber hemp')
- The FNPC (National Federation of Hemp Producers) is created in 1932, becomes a major industry actor
- Industrial uses develop: paper Bible, capacitor paper, animal litter, building materials (hempcrete)
By 1990, France keeps a residual 6,000 hectares but technical know-how survives.
2000-2020: agronomic and food rediscovery
The 2000s see a methodical relaunch:
- InterChanvre (the interprofession) structures the industry from 2003
- Food hemp explodes: hemp seeds, hemp oil, hemp protein
- Sustainable construction rediscovers hempcrete (insulator, regulator)
- The textile sector revives with eco-fashion brands
- France becomes again the #1 European producer: 17,000 ha in 2015, 21,000 ha in 2025
2020-2026: the artisanal CBD revolution
A decisive turning point:
- CJEU Kanavape ruling (19 November 2020): CBD is not a narcotic
- French decree of 30 December 2021: legal framework for CBD products (THC ≤ 0.3%)
- Conseil d'État ruling (29 December 2022): legality of CBD flowers and leaves confirmed
- The artisanal CBD industry emerges with hundreds of French producers, often outdoor or greenhouse, with published lot-by-lot analyses
- L'Herbe en France marketplace federates these producers from 2024
But a new front opens: the 2026 DGAL plan restricts CBD edibles, and a heated debate emerges between artisanal industry and synthetic cannabinoid imports (see Strategy Parmentier).
French hemp today: key figures (2025-2026)
- 21,000 hectares cultivated
- #1 European producer (representing 70% of EU hemp production)
- 15,000 farmers involved
- 5 industrial poles : seeds, fibers, hurd, flowers, oils
- artisanal CBD industry : approximately 300 active producers
The hemp industry weighs €100 million in turnover, and continues to grow.