The dispute about the sale of cannabis drives new flowers. In recent months, many stores have been worried about their existence, but a new legal opinion now has a sigh of relief: from today cannabis flowers are available again in hemp stores to smoke with a low THC content. In an emergency it will be “legally dependent”.
The cannabis industry has not been relaxed in recent months. Many stores were worried about their existence. The background is a judgment from November: At that time, a court said that cannabis flowers were subject to tobacco tax with a low THC content. This probably resulted in the conclusion that they can only be sold in tobacco sales offices of the monopoly (toilets).
Huge loss of sales since the court’s decision
The Ministry of Finance started targeted promotions and many CBD stores have set up the sale due to legal uncertainty. The loss of the turnover of the approximately 500 CBD stores varied from 50 to 80 percent, some even slid bankruptcy. Large tax payments waved and authorities, with reference to the tobacco monopoly against the stores.
Cannabis flowers for smoking are generally permitted in Austria to a THC content of 0.3 percent. THC is the substance that causes the well -known intoxicating effect of hashish and “high”. The CBD ingredient, on the other hand, can help against back pain or migraine. The flowers in the hemp shops with medically prescribed marijuana should not be confused, which is outside when discussing the tobacco monopoly. CBD is also not influenced in the form of drops or gum -like bears.
Expert: “Clearly do not fall under tobacco monopoly”
In any case, a new report is now a sigh of relief. The stores are confirmed in their opinion and are now resuming sales. “The sale is in last place,” says Klaus Hübner of the Cannabis Association. According to the renowned constitutional lawyer Heinz Mayer, legally tradable cannabis flowers are subject to tobacco tax, “but clearly are not an object of the tobacco monopoly”. According to the expert, an extension would even be contrary to the Constitution and European law. For Mayer, an occupation with the tobacco tax does not automatically mean that it also falls under the sales monopoly.
This is incomprehensible for the guild of the toilet. “This is an expert opinion. But there is still the decision of the highest court. I hope that the stores of the consequences are aware that can bloom for them,” says transformer chairman Wolfgang Streißnig to the “Kroon”.
In any case, the industrial representative Hübner is relieved because of the report and is waiting for “far -reaching consequences”. The 500 stores need legal certainty and fair regulations. If necessary, you now want to leave the legal clarification. “We are prepared,” says Hübner. Since the court’s decision, tobacco matters have actually offered cannabis flowers at a single point of sale. According to the toilet chairman Wolfgang Streißnig, this is due to the fact that there are questions in the administration around the licenses and the toilet therefore does not yet see the green light for the sale. In general, people are very interested in the sale of hemp products.
Cannabis -consumers avoid
According to the Cannabis Association, it was only added that marijuana consumers received their “material” abroad or illegally online. “This is also bad for the income of the tax authorities,” says Hübner, who earns his own money as an entrepreneur at CBD. He calls for a cannabis law, such as in many EU countries and ultimately also legalization.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
