Heimat fights for CBD legalization in Bermuda
The import of Swiss hemp products of the brand Heimat has caused some turmoil in Bermuda. The Swiss hemp pioneers Koch & Gsell have won a legal battle together with the import partner in Bermuda, so that the Swiss CBD products can now be sold legally in Bermuda.
In summer 2017, the eastern Swiss company Koch & Gsell launched the world's first industrially produced cigarette containing tobacco and CBD hemp. The product caused a sensation internationally. Koch & Gsell received numerous enquiries from interested parties from all over the world who wanted to import the product. The complex and largely unclear legal situation regarding trade in hemp products made these negotiations extremely difficult.
Bermudian entrepreneurs Kwan Smith and Andre Marshall, founders of the company Infinity Hemp Bermuda, were able to organize the necessary permits for the import of the Heimat CBD cigarettes in 2018. The first cartons of the hemp cigarettes were shipped from Switzerland to Bermuda in the spring of 2018 and distributed through various outlets. However, in autumn 2018, the Bermudian police confiscated the imported Heimat hemp products.
According to Infinity Hemp Bermuda and Koch & Gsell , the seizure was unlawful because Bermuda does not classify hemp products with a CBD content of 1% as narcotics. The legal framework is therefore very similar to that in Switzerland. Infinity Hemp Bermuda took legal action with the support of Koch & Gsell . The Bermuda Parliament addressed the issue of the legality of hemp products during the session in early November 2019 and concluded that the seizure of the Heimat hemp products was not justified. David Burt, Premier of Bermuda, explained that this decision would put an end to the unfair treatment of hemp entrepreneurs by the Bermudian police. As a result, Heimat hemp products can once again be exported and sold from Switzerland to Bermuda.
Chronology of events
July 2017 The Swiss start-up Koch & Gsell launches the world's first tobacco hemp cigarette, causing an international sensation.
January 2018 Kwan Smith and Andre Marshall from Infinity Hemp Bermuda contact Koch & Gsell. Import negotiations for Heimat CBD cigarettes begin.
March 2018 First shipment of Heimat hemp cigarettes to Bermuda.
October 2018 Bermudian police seize Heimat hemp cigarettes. Infinity Hemp Bermuda is in a legal battle with Koch & Gsell because, according to the entrepreneurs, the legal framework for the legal sale of hemp products has been complied with.
November 2019 The Bermudian Parliament deals with the matter in its session. It concludes that the seizure was not justified and that hemp products with a CBD content of less than 1% can be legally sold in Bermuda.
