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Author: Marguerite Arnold

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“Trivializing The Joint?” German Police Unions Speak Out Against More Legalization

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

Head of Police Union speaks out against recreational reform as coalition talks for new government continue with parties in favour of forward progress on cannabis issues

In a clear clash of values as well as a sign that German politics are changing, the head of the country’s police union, GdP, Oliver Malchow, spoke out against the further legalization of cannabis. The police are mostly concerned with road accidents and are comparing recreational cannabis’ intoxication impact to that of alcohol.

Such remarks come at a time when the Social Democrats (SDP), the Greens and the Free Democrats (FDP) are caucusing in discussions about ruling the country in a coalition government – and further all parties are clear that they want more cannabis reform.

The FDP for example is very excited about the tax revenue the legal cannabis industry could create. The Greens want to eliminate the black market and reduce organized crime. The least pro-cannabis reform group, the SPD has at least called for a recreational trial.

Something green is going down in Deutschland. The question is when and in what form.

A National Recreational Trial

There are several theories that are highly popular in the cannabis industry. One is that the new coalition, when it finally forms, will at least agree on decriminalization. Beyond this, however, the roadmap is not so clear, even with recreational reform now on the docket in Europe.

Several countries – including Portugal and Luxembourg, are now discussing how to legally implement recreational markets in an environment, regionally, where cannabis is still considered a Schedule I drug (even if its component cannabinoids are slowly being defined otherwise). Indeed, some of the opposition in Luxembourg against the implementation of a recreational market is the fear of “unrest” on the country’s borders with the rest of Europe. Namely, cannatourists from other places, starting with Deutschland.

Whatever happens in Germany, however, will clearly affect the discussion across such countries if not others in the EU region.

What Is Possible Beyond Decriminalization?

There are several options. The world is not where it was on cannabis issues even four years ago – the year of the German bid. Countries all over Europe (see Malta and Italy for starters) are beginning to accept home grow legislatively.

The most likely options -  beyond decrim for that reason, are recreational trials in major cities and some kind of amended home grow option.

One thing is also for sure. The German police will be on the hunt for state-of-the-art cannabis breathalysers used in legalizing US states. 

To keep up to date on emerging market cannabis news and events, be sure to stay tuned to the International Cannabis Business Conference blog.

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German Study Shows Dramatic Increase In Cannabis Consumption

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Science.

A study by UKE-Hamburg shows that the number of cannabis users in Europe has increased more than 25% over the second decade of the century.

According to a study conducted by the Centre for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research at the University of Hamburg and the Technical University of Dresden, evaluated publicly available data from EU countries along with the UK, Norway, Turkey and the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime, cannabis use has increased dramatically across Europe.

According to such data, the number of adults, rather unsurprisingly, who have consumed cannabis has risen by an average of 27%. The strongest relative increase occurred among 35-64-year-olds, but overall regular consumption has also increased.

This is certainly interesting data simply because, both anecdotally and otherwise, even CBD stores are reporting a dramatic uptick in traffic as consumers try to ease Pandemic-related stress and anxiety.

However, this information is also coming at a time when many in Germany are calling for a comprehensive reform of the drug laws here – particularly as they relate to cannabis.

While this data also comes from police and crime interdiction reports (see the UN in particular) what this shows generally is that Europe, which has always been more cannabis-friendly (or at least less draconian) than the United States (see no widespread drug testing for employment as one example of the same), is finally starting to have a more honest conversation generally about the topic of cannabis reform.

With more and more countries admitting that cannabis has medical efficacy, even if grudgingly, as well as several now moving in the direction of home grow if not decriminalization, this data serves to underline a major and critical reality.

Cannabis as a medical drug, adult-use substance like but not as dangerous as alcohol and far less dangerous than tobacco consumption not to mention used in a vast variety of other products from food to cosmetics, building supplies to clothing, has hit the mainstream debate in Europe in a way that it has not before.

Change here may not happen as fast or in the same patterns as it did anywhere else, although it is beginning to resemble the fight for legalization in the United States.

And just like the US, there are starting to be clear movements, as well as official data, which points in the direction, finally of the next phase of cannabis reform – and both at a country and regional level.

Stay tuned to the International Cannabis Business Conference blog for updates about the European cannabis industry.

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Which Way Are The Winds Of Recreational Cannabis Blowing In Europe?

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

Several countries have decided to delay their plans for recreational markets – apparently in response to the German national elections

In a strange response apparently to the results of the German elections, both Portugal and Luxembourg have just announced delays and review of their decisions and legislation to move to recreational markets. 

In Portugal, the pending adult market legislation has now been put on hold for at least the next sixty days. In Luxembourg, the ruling government, which promised as part of its mandate to create a recreational market in the country by 2023 is now sending signals that it wishes to delay the same because of potential clashes with European law. Note: this has not stopped the Dutch from proceeding with the region’s first nationally regulated adult-use market – which is another reason for believing that the excuse just given in Luxembourg is nothing more than a political cover story to give the new ruling German coalition a chance to think about their position. Even the decriminalization of cannabis here will make it impossible for anyone at the EU level to object to recreational markets on a country-by-country basis. Indeed, the last decision about the scheduling of cannabis at the UN level was specifically to allow individual countries to come to their own decisions about the same.

No matter what, however, recreational reform has suddenly become a hot topic in Europe. 

As Goes Holland?

One of the more interesting issues raised by the Luxembourgian decision is that while the official recreational market may be delayed, citizens may well gain the right of home grow. This would create its own ripple across the cannabis landscape in a way that might also begin to change the discussion (a la Italy) and further in a way that would be good for patients and adult users even if it does not directly create a formal industry.

Beyond this, of course, any discussions of European objections to expanding on a country-by-country basis, adult use markets, will have to overcome the problem of Holland. There is clearly no going back, although the steps forward may be stranger if not even sideways than anyone can yet foresee.

Regardless, the topic of adult-use is now clearly in the air – and the odour of Europe is absolutely getting danker.

Stay tuned for more news and information from the International Cannabis Business Conference.

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Scotland Decriminalizes Drug Possession

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

Scotland’s new policy covers all ‘illegal drugs” including cannabis in a surprise turn of events.

In a surprise announcement, Class A substances have been effectively decriminalized in Scotland. This includes cannabis. According to the lord advocate, Dorothy Bain QC. this is a “diversion from prosecution” policy that came as a surprise to the Scottish Parliament (or Holyrood).

Officers can already issue formal warnings for possession of lower category drugs; however, this policy comes at a time when the entire cannabis discussion is being actively discussed in just about every European capital post-German election.

Scotland logged a record 1,339 drug-related deaths in 2020 which is the highest rate in Europe. As a result, the Scottish government has pledged to make it a “national mission” to cut fatalities.

Per Ms Bain, “There is no one size fits all response to an individual found in possession of a controlled substance, or an individual dependent on drugs.”

While there are those who criticize the step for not going far enough, even this development is controversial. The Scottish Conservatives criticized the plan for merely being a cannabis decriminalization plan by another name. However, since that is in essence exactly what this move represents, the fact that other parties are supporting the idea is a positive development in a part of the world notoriously conservative about all “illicit” drug use.

Could Scotland Be a Tipping Point for the UK?

There are many forces driving a renewed interest in at least decriminalizing the use of cannabis in the UK. The CBD market is clearly up and running and more and more GMP-certified cultivation and extraction facilities are getting licensed (see most recently the movement on the island of Guernsey).

Beyond this, of course, European countries which are increasingly putting Covid in their rear-view mirror if not having national elections (see Germany last weekend) are also increasingly at least musing changing national drug policies. Sending in the fuzz to bust CBD stores or locking up legitimate cannabis patients is, increasingly, a political third rail. 

There are many reasons, in other words, to herald this new Scottish liberalization of drug policy – both directly south of Hadrian’s Wall and across the Channel.

And even if “all” that is achieved is that cannabis is decriminalized that is an important step.

Stay tuned to the International Cannabis Business Conference blog as autumn clearly blows in a new wind for cannabis reform across Europe.

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The German National Elections Will Forward Cannabis Reform – But How Much?

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

Germans went to the polls last Sunday, returning a not-so-surprising result. What will this new government mean for cannabis reform?

There is a new day in Germany. For the first time in 16 years, Angela Merkel is no longer the Chancellor of the largest and most powerful country in Europe. Beyond this, Sunday’s election means a defeat, at least by the number of seats held, for the CDU – the centre-right party that has held power since 1949 (at least on the Western side of the country).

What this shifting alliance means for cannabis reform is now a topic that has spread across at least the German if not European industry. What is certain, no matter what is that there will be some kind of change – although of course, any specifics must wait for the ruling government alliance to be formed.

Who that could be is still up in the air – but the SPD has already indicated that they are interested in entering an alliance with the Green Party – and both are far more friendly to at least basic cannabis reform than the CDU has ever been.

Here are the basic issues on the table.

  1. The entire cannabis debate must be re-examined and redefined. This includes both of the low hanging fruit at this juncture including removing CBD from the federal Narcotics Act as well as decriminalization of all cannabis possession. The patient count in Germany has continued to climb despite a lot of resistance and patient hurdles which have still not been solved.
  2. If the SPD forms an alliance with either or the Greens and FDP, one thing is certain. Recreational cannabis trials are going to be on the agenda here in a matter of 18-24 months, particularly as both Switzerland and Luxembourg are now hurtling towards the same – although in the case of Luxembourg, there appears to be a new impetus to slowing down that trial based on concerns in some quarters about “chaos” ensuing at the Luxembourgian borders with their European neighbours. If Germany changes its cannabis policy, this will be less of a legitimate excuse (not that this carries any weight now).

Regardless of the particulars and the timeline, this is still unbelievably good news. The biggest possible roadblock might be that the SPD might bring the CDU into the governing coalition. The CDU have been glacial so far in their acceptance of the entire issue.

Even in this scenario however, with so many of the other parties in favour of at least basic and logical steps forward, the next steps of cannabis reform are likely to unfold now far more easily – and with it carry the seeds of change across Europe and the EU.

Big changes are on the way in the German cannabis industry. Be sure to stay tuned to the International Cannabis Business Conference blog for more updates.

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South Africa Gets Its First Cannabis Pain Patient

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Medical.

Kwanda Mtetwa has become South Africa’s first legal cannabis patient – receiving the prescription to treat his chronic pain – he won’t be the last.

The first South African patient has now been prescribed medical cannabis for chronic pain. The 32-year-old activist had to obtain a special license and a doctor’s prescription. Nevertheless, once this onerous process was completed, Mtetwa became the first patient in a country that is moving even faster into the medical discussion on the way to recreational reform in just a few years hence.

Much like other countries, including Germany and Canada, it is still very hard to find doctors willing to prescribe the drug as well as work with the patient through the complicated applications and screening process.

The Blooming South African Cannabis Market

South Africa (and its surrounded “neighbour” Lesotho) are moving forward on cannabis reform with gusto. There is a large market outside the country (see Europe if not Israel and Australia). Beyond that there is of course a new domestic, formal, and regulated patient market now in process, and of course, inter African trade.

In the meantime, decriminalization of the cannabis plant for personal use is now in progress through the South African Parliament, with healthy debate on how to keep the drug out of the hands of minors also well underway. The bill would also allow caregivers to grow cannabis for medical or compassionate purposes and give it away for free – and the right to grow up to eight plants.

Cannabis has long been used as a medical and wellness plant in the region. Dagga, as cannabis is called locally, was already in widespread use by the settlement of Europeans in the mid-1600s. Use of the plant was associated with traditional African medicine. The Dutch East India company even attempted to establish a monopoly on its trade, although the widespread cultivation of the plant by indigenous peoples even then kept prices low and stymied the plan.

During this century, Interpol rated South Africa as the fourth-largest cannabis producer in the world. Most of the black-market cannabis in the UK still hails from South Africa.

The current trend in South Africa towards a modern cannabis market got underway in 2017 with a High Court ruling in Cape Town saying that the prevention of personal cultivation was a violation of constitutional rights.

For more information about emerging cannabis markets, be sure to check in with the International Cannabis Business Conference on a regular basis.

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What Role Will Cannabis Social Clubs Play In European Recreational Reform?

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Business.

The continued popularity of this kind of gathering point has spread far from Spain and is now increasingly looked to as a model for recreational trials in places like Switzerland and South Africa

There is one thing that Spain, if not the early caregiving days in places like the US and Canada has given the cannabis reform discussion that is enduring as it is international. Namely the idea of a “social club” as a meeting point for cannabis consumers as well as a non-profit point of distribution.

Indeed, the Spanish concept, which has gathered in steam since the beginning of the last decade, has spread to places like South Africa where the concept is increasingly important for all the same reasons. 

Even more interestingly, as the battle for full and final recreational reform begins to be spoken of with a bit more seriousness in Europe, the Swiss have just announced that they intend to use this model too, starting next year.

Indeed, beyond the also enduring “coffee shop” pioneered by the Dutch, the social club construct may indeed be the turning point for real reform across at least Europe.

Here are a few reasons why:

  1. There is an established procedure for operations that has been set out by organizations like ENCOD.
  2. The infrastructure is easy to monitor if not monetize to at least self-sufficiency. Most of such clubs are indeed “non-profit” and serve both patients and recreational users alike with no differentiation. As frustrating as this might be for those with a pharma background, the reality is that at this juncture, there are just too many conditions that cannabis can treat which doctors are still leery of approving (everywhere). Further, the borderline recreational/medical discussion is almost always in the room. During the Pandemic, for example, even legal stores in places like Germany have noted a massive uptick in sales of just CBD (for anxiety if nothing else).
  3. The operating infrastructure is a good way to begin to bridge the gaps between highly regulated pharmacy and head or cannabis shop. Such clubs are usually non-profit, but also help create a seed to sale infrastructure that can be monitored, regulated, and even certified at standards that can reach a national level (see EU-BIO).

As the cannabis conversation rolls on in Europe, if not the rest of the world, expect to see such models tweaked, adapted, and integrated into local models, and far from just Spain.

Be sure to stay tuned to updates and news from the International Cannabis Business Conference.

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Cannabis Reform Moves Forward In UK’s Islands

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

Support for cannabis reform if not actual cultivation is moving ahead on the many islands ringing the mainland

From Guernsey, where cultivation is finally proceeding officially, to the Isle of Man’s upcoming election where candidates are talking openly if not enthusiastically for the need for cannabis reform, the entire discussion is proceeding in the UK, even if slowly, and even if, for the moment, mostly off its mainland.

There are of course, several reasons for this, starting with the dire need for economic development if not effectively treating residents with medicines that can be made easily and economically, locally.

On Guernsey, seven applications for cultivation have been filed by companies intending to cultivate and or process high THC cannabis for medical use.

On the Isle Man, only one of the five candidates in the running for the House of Keys election has categorized reform as a “slippery slope.” The other four are all in favour of at least decriminalization.

Regardless, both the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are moving the conversation forward and, in a way, likely to rebound on the larger debate in the UK.

The Status of Cannabis Reform in the UK

Despite being the largest exporter of cannabis products in the world for the last twenty years (albeit with one company holding an exclusive monopoly on the same), reformers have struggled to move the entire cannabis legalization discussion forward in a manner similar to Germany. 

Currently there are several new cultivation projects afoot in the UK proper, but these are focussed on low THC. These days, much of the medical cannabis legally consumed in the UK comes from abroad (including Canada, Holland, and Germany). 

Beyond this, medical authorities have refused to consider including chronic pain as one of the medical reasons for obtaining a cannabis prescription via the NHS (in other words at a discounted cost which most patients can easily afford).

Beyond the actual supply chain discussion however, there is one area in which the UK promises to be a major boon to the conversation across the continent – namely the more liberal financial markets in the UK – which are lining up to be one of the best sources of public equity across Europe.

In the meantime, however, green shoots and leaves are certainly appearing now on the islands dotting the British coastline. And this may, in turn, make all the difference in finally moving the conversation forward faster on the mainland.

The International Cannabis Business Conference has returned to Europe. Follow us for news and other developments.

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Italy Struggles To Set Regulations For Home Grow

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

The European country is struggling to create regulations and guidelines for home grow after Italy’s top court decriminalized cannabis in late December 2019

In a sign that Covid might have slowed but cannot indefinitely delay the progress of cannabis legalization across the continent, and even in some of its most conservative countries, a committee of the Italian Senate (the Justice Committee of the Chamber of Deputies) has voted to allow Italians the right to grow up to four cannabis plants at home.

This move comes “only” 21 months after the Court of Cessation, the equivalent of the Supreme Court, ruled that the “crime” of cultivating narcotic drugs should be changed to allow small amounts of the plant grown at home and for the exclusive use of the grower. While the delay absolutely had to do, partly, with Covid, not every politician is copacetic about this kind of cannabis reform. Indeed, right-wing League Party leader and former interior minister Matteo Salvini stands fastly opposed to the idea. “Drugs cause harm, forget about growing them or buying them in shops” he said in a statement issued shortly after Italian lawmakers signalled their intent to let this legislation progress for both amendments and the full consideration of the 630 deputies in plenary session.

How Popular Is the Idea of Home grow In Europe?

Home grow is a perennially sticky wicket just about everywhere the regulated if not medical cannabis industry has begun to cultivate if not distribute. In Canada and the United States, such enterprises seeded the basis for the industry to begin. It is not a right, however, that can exist unimpeded by some kind of regulation, even in Canada, where regulators are concerned now about such cannabis entering the commercial market.

In Europe, these issues have not been widely legislated, although it is clear that Italy is leading the fight on this aspect of reform. It is also not likely to be the last country where this right is won by patients, and in court.

The Impact on The German Discussion

Within the German cannabis industry there is a great deal of discussion about how the upcoming elections might change the state of cannabis reform in the country. With several countries all around Deutschland now clearly moving forward on more progressive reform, beyond this development in Italy, it is likely that some kind of progress is in the offing.

What that will look like, however, particularly in the aftermath of patient lawsuits not only for access but cultivation, is anyone’s guess.

Stay tuned. The worm is certainly turning.

The International Cannabis Business Conference is back! Stay tuned for upcoming news and developments.