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Thailand’s Health Ministry Wants To Legalize Cannabis In Certain Areas

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

Thailand is rapidly becoming an international leader when it comes to cannabis policy. For many years the nation prohibited cannabis in all forms, with harsh penalties being handed out to people caught possessing, cultivating, and/or distributing cannabis.

That has changed a great deal in recent years after Thailand became the first country in its entire region to legalize cannabis for medical use. It was a tectonic public policy shift at the time given that over half of the countries that have a death penalty for cannabis are located in the same region as Thailand.

Currently, any household in Thailand can sign up to cultivate cannabis for medical purposes and sell it to government-licensed cannabis retailers. Aspiring cultivators can even obtain a government loan to help fund their pursuits, with interest rates being extremely low.

If Thailand’s Health Ministry has its way, cannabis reform will not stop at medical cannabis. Thailand’s Health Ministry recently announced a desire to legalize cannabis for adult use in certain parts of the country. Per Bangkok Post:

The health ministry plans to legalise cannabis for recreational use in designated areas as part of a new draft proposal.

Dr Paisarn Dankum, secretary-general of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said the ministry wants to maximise the benefits of the plant following its removal from the latest list of prohibited drugs (B.E 2564).

The proposals will allow the use of cannabis for recreational purposes in designated sandbox areas. However, there has so far been no guidance as to what will constitute a sandbox and which areas might be eligible.

Thailand is a beautiful country and has long served as a top international tourism destination. Cannabis enthusiasts from around the world have traveled to Thailand for many years to consume local cannabis varieties, albeit in a fashion that was not necessarily legal.

It’s tough to say at this point if the cannabis ‘sandbox’ regions will be geared towards boosting tourism, however, that’s likely to factor in. Legalizing cannabis for adult use will create jobs, create tax revenues and fees, and boost local economies. That is true in Thailand and anywhere else that embraces adult-use cannabis reform.

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Research Is Picking Up For Cannabis And Covid

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Science.

There are several studies and now a UK trial is planned to examine the efficacy of cannabis on Covid. What gives?

Since the beginning of the Covid 19 Pandemic, there have been growing claims, although not backed by research or trials, that cannabinoids can affect Covid. On the face of it, it makes sense, as cannabis has marked anti-inflammatory properties.

However, up until now, such claims have been mired in controversy, simply because there had been no formal research backing it up.

Medical Trials Are Underway

That appears to be now formally changing.

At the beginning of January, Oregon State University released research that revealed that hemp compounds, used via a chemical screening technique invented at the university, show the ability to prevent the virus that causes COVID-19 from entering human cells. The research shows that CBGA and CBDA bind to the SARS CoV-2 spike protein, thereby blocking a critical step in the infection process in humans. This “spike protein” is the same drug target used by the current Covid vaccines.

Beyond this announcement by the OSU College of Pharmacy, which was covered globally, an Australian company, BOD, has just announced a UK trial to use cannabis to treat long COVID symptoms. The company was given leave to test its CBD products by the UK’s Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency. 30 trial participants have already been recruited.

The Big Ifs

There are many in the industry who are looking at the development of such research with extreme skepticism. After all, this is hardly the first time such claims have been made. What appears to be different this time, however, is that there is the beginning of medical data and trial research to back them up.

However, those hoping that perhaps this development might immediately aid full cannabis reform might find themselves sadly disappointed, even in the UK. The best this might do is formalize the medical use of CBD, which has already been accomplished, and the cannabis used in turn would have to be EU GMP certified to qualify as a medical product. It is also unlikely that such pronouncements impacted the recent French decision to allow flower sales along with the rest of its CBD market (that has more to do with EU law).

Regardless, what this has done has again focussed the attention on the importance of (at least) formally and fully decriminalizing the medical use of cannabis. And this in turn will lead to greater reform, even if not in the next 12 months.

Be sure to book your tickets to the International Cannabis Business Conference this year as it returns to Barcelona, Berlin, and Zurich!

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How Long Will The Cannabis Fight Take In France?

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

The left-wing France Unbowed party is taking the fight to a still resistant government as recent polls show public opinion shifting towards cannabis legalization

Last week, French legislators discussed a bill to legalize cannabis. Put forward by the France Unbowed party or LFI, it is widely seen to be a legislative attempt to put the conversation in the national air rather than pass anything even though there was clear support for reform from five parliamentary groups including even the ruling party (LREM). The government so far has been widely resistant to full cannabis reform, implementing both a much-delayed medical trial only last year as well as finally regulating the CBD business which, as of January 7, will include the sale of flowers. This is a major victory over the government in the first week of the year as the country’s Supreme Court also just overturned the ban on cannabis flowers put forward by the government on December 30 in the plan to regulate the CBD industry.

The last such attempt put forward in 2014 was also rejected by the government. But times they are obviously a’changin’. Beyond the victory on CBD recently, as of June 2021, an Ifop survey showed that 51% of the French public was in favour of at least decriminalization – the highest number since the issue has been tracked (1970).

Things are certainly getting interesting in the French conversation. The question is, with the CBD conversation now formalized in France and a medical trial underway on a national level, how fast can cannabis reform happen on a national level here?

The Need for A Trigger…

It is not just France that is now on the edge of further reform. Germany has yet to even formalize its CBD industry, even though the new coalition here has made cannabis reform an issue for its plank of projects to get accomplished. These two countries, along with Italy, now also poised for a legislative mandate on the topic this year, are far more than say Malta or Spain, are absolutely the bellwether countries for cannabis reform in Europe, simply because they have the most economic clout.

That said, the inevitable is clearly in the air. Full and final cannabis reform is no longer an outlandish but rather a mainstream topic in every European country. 

The question is what will be the exact trigger to force the widespread legalization of the plant. It could be Switzerland’s market, due to kick off this year. It could be that legalizing formal industries in places like Portugal and the seed market in Luxembourg will also pave a path.

But no matter what “it” is, at least talk of full and final reform will be abloom in every European political capital this spring.

Be sure to book your tickets to the International Cannabis Business Conference when it returns to Europe, starting with Barcelona in March!

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Did Cannabis Reform In Europe Increase Use Among Young People?

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

One of the most popular talking points for cannabis prohibitionists is the ‘what about the children?’ talking point. Cannabis opponents go to that talking point early and often whenever cannabis reform is being proposed in any jurisdiction, including in Europe.

In recent years medical cannabis reform has spread across the European continent, with countless patients now being able to safely access medical cannabis products where they live. Not all countries’ medical cannabis programs are created equal, as proven by a comparison between the United Kingdom and Germany.

Germany is home to the most well-established medical cannabis program in Europe and the largest medical cannabis industry on the continent. Patients can easily acquire medical cannabis products from licensed pharmacies. Compare that to the United Kingdom where only three patients had received any medical cannabis products as of last summer.

With so much medical cannabis reform sweeping the European continent, many are wondering if it had any impact on youth consumption rates on the continent? After all, cannabis opponents tried so hard to convince people that reforming cannabis laws would lead to a doomsday scenario in Europe. A study was recently conducted that sought to answer that question, and spoiler alert – it was not favorable to the claims of cannabis opponents.

Youth Consumption Rates Spanning 20+ Years

A team of researchers in Sweden recently examined data of self-reported cannabis use spanning a period from 1994 to 2017. During that span of time many countries in Europe reformed their cannabis laws in one way or another, including the countries where data was sourced from (Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and United Kingdom).

“Cannabis policy varies greatly across European countries, but evidence of how such policy impacts on recreational cannabis use among young people is conflicting. This study aimed to clarify this association by investigating how changes in cannabis legislation influenced cannabis use.” the study’s authors stated.

“Available data on self-reports of recreational cannabis use among individuals aged 15-34 years was retrieved from EMCDDA. Information on cannabis policy changes was categorized as more lenient (decriminalisation or depenalisation) or stricter (criminalisation, penalisation). Countries that had implemented changes in cannabis legislation or had information on prevalence of use for at least eight calendar years, were eligible for inclusion. We used interrupted time-series linear models to investigate changes in country-specific trajectories of prevalence over calendar time and in relation to policy changes.” the researchers stated regarding their methodology.

The researchers concluded that “Our findings do not support any considerable impact of cannabis legislation on the prevalence of recreational cannabis use among youth and young adults in Europe.”

The Same Will Likely Prove True For Adult-Use Legalization

Europe’s cannabis community experienced a major milestone at the end of last year when Malta became the first country on the continent to legalize cannabis for adult use. The new law makes it legal for adults to cultivate, possess, and consume cannabis. The measure will also legalize cannabis clubs, although it will not legalize adult-use sales.

Legalization efforts are well underway in other European countries as well, with Luxembourg, Germany, and possibly Italy legalizing cannabis for adult use in the near future. That will increase pressure on other countries, including Spain where our next event will be held in March, to ramp up adult-use legalization efforts as well.

Unfortuantely, that ramping up of legalization efforts across the continent will likely be paralleled by claims from cannabis opponents that cannabis legalization will result in a stoned youth epidemic. Feel free to point to the results of the study contained in this article to debunk their claims. Just as those claims proved to be unfounded when it came to medical cannabis reform, the same will likely be true for adult-use reform.

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Adult-Use Sales In Germany May Go Beyond Pharmacy Distribution

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Business, Politics.

Germany is currently home to Europe’s largest legal cannabis industry. Part of that is due to Germany’s population of roughly 83 million people and part of that is also due to Germany being home to the fourth-largest economy on earth.

Another contributing factor is Germany’s approach to medical cannabis policy and the nation’s medical cannabis industry framework. Germany has embraced the medical cannabis industry in ways that most other countries have yet to do, both in Europe and abroad.

Every passing year results in Germany’s medical cannabis industry becoming larger, and that is being accelerated by domestic cannabis production. Initially, Germany imported all of its medical cannabis products which resulted in Germany being the world’s largest importer of medical cannabis (over 9,000 kilograms in 2020 alone).

Germany is no longer the largest importer of medical cannabis. Israel recently took over that title. However, the industry is as strong as ever, and when Germany legalizes cannabis for adult use and launches an adult-use industry in the near future, the nation’s emerging cannabis industry will be enormous.

Hints Of Regulations

Germany’s Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) recently participated in an interview during which he provided quite a bit of insight into what Germany’s eventual adult-use cannabis industry may look like.

The governing coalition previously indicated a desire to legalize cannabis for adult use, and part of the policy change would include regulations for adult-use sales. Below are additional emerging details via Radio Eins (translated from German):

The goal agreed by the SPD, Greens and FDP in the coalition agreement is clear: “It should be legally possible for adults to buy cannabis in licensed shops,” said the Minister of the German Press Agency. This could be pharmacies, for example, “but we may also continue to draw the circle”. A prerequisite could be a “required expertise of the sales staff”. This would enable the salespeople to “provide information about the products and counteract risky cannabis use, especially in the case of recognizable addicts”.

For him, as Minister of Justice, it is clear: “If there are shops that are legally allowed to sell cannabis, then there must also be producers who are allowed to grow and sell it legally”. Possession must then also be legal for adults up to a maximum limit to be stipulated in the law. And cannabis will be “subject to some form of taxation, like other consumer products”.

Adult-Use Cannabis Taxation

Cannabis taxes were also discussed during the interview, and the Minister indicated that he was not worried about taxation making it harder to compete with the unregulated market.

As long as the taxation is not too burdensome, most consumers will not care about higher prices up to a point. The benefit of being able to go into a fixed location during set business hours to choose from a variety of products in a legal setting is well worth an additional cost within reason.

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France Formalizes Its CBD Rules – But The Fight Is Just Beginning

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Business.

The country issued new guidelines right before the new year – but while it spells good news for manufactured products, cultivators are up in arms.

In a significant move for not only France but a wider European conversation beyond that, the French authorities moved to formalize rules on CBD at a national level at the end of 2021. That they did so at the very end of the year, on December 30, has not quelled the already bubbling controversy.

Here is why. Broadly, the French Ministry of Solidarity and Health issued an order to implement Article R. 5132-86 of the Public Health code which now authorizes the CBD market. There are some winners in this – namely every producer who does not sell flowers directly (which includes herbal teas). The losers? Every cultivator and product producer who sells the leaves directly to the public, even though the regulation also allows the increase of THC in hemp cultivation from .02 to .03% as well.

That is a huge segment of the market – not only from a cultivator but also retail sales perspective. The professional organization of CBD Purveyors, the Union des Professionals du CBD, has stated that flower sales are currently 70% of their market, and of course is leading the charge against the new flower sale ban.

Importance In the Discussion

This is not the first time the strange path to legalization in France has sparked attention. The country has been moving achingly slowly forward to recognize medical use. In the meantime, CBD is being lumped, as it is in places like Germany, in an odd place where the raw flower is frequently also banned, outright. In Deutschland, hemp tea has also been on the front end of legal fights over the last few years that are still unresolved, even in the face of recreational reform simply because cannabis remains in the German Narcotics Act.

That said, the fact that now France (and Switzerland) have clearly amended their Narcotics Acts to allow the sale of both CBD and in Switzerland’s case THC, also spells an end to futile arguments on the German side of the border about how difficult dealing with this issue is. Namely, all that must be done is to do it, and further in a way that now three European countries have now done. See Malta.

It was also France where the Kannavape case (which this is also the direct result of) created a European precedent on the cross-border sale of CBD (and further for smoking).

It is in other words, no matter how strangely piecemeal, France, where the CBD market for Europe may first be nationally defined, despite all the kicking and screaming.

Be sure to book your tickets to the International Cannabis Business Conference as it returns to Barcelona, Berlin and Zurich in 2022!

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Spanish Cannabis Reform: A Rumble On The Horizon

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

The entire cannabis conversation has moved forward, dramatically, over the last year in Europe. Where does this leave Spain?

As anyone who has watched the American market, in particular, jolt slowly forward over the last seven years is beginning to see, there are similarities to what is going on in Europe now. Nothing is exactly the same of course, and the reform on the table here is sovereign rather than state. Regardless, there are indeed curious parallels afoot.

Even leaving Switzerland out of this (as it is outside of the EU), Germany has now joined the list of nations to put cannabis reform on its legislative “to do” list along with Portugal, Malta crossed the line and even France has now formalized its CBD market. In this context, the issue of Spanish reform looms large. This is even more true as Holland formalizes its cultivation market nationally and Luxembourg begins to dip its tentative heels into the seed market.

Spain, particularly given the fact that its industry is organized roughly in a cross between what Holland is (coffee shops as the focus of the retail trade but a yet formally legal cultivation network) and what Switzerland is rapidly shaping up to be, is now on the hot seat to begin to formalize this entire discussion. This is even more true given what is about to happen right next door in Portugal.

Where Do Things Stand in Spain?

The issue of reform is even more pressing given the kinds of danger those who run the clubs still face. Albert Tió, the man given credit for kicking off the entire club discussion in Spain, is still serving jail time. Yet those in both Barcelona and the Basque region (the area of the country with the second-highest concentration of clubs), have bravely fought on through the Pandemic to establish a formal industry, not to mention the federal and even EU level reform that must precede it.

Cannabis is technically decriminalized in the country. GMP grade cannabis production is also taking place (four licenses to do so have been issued by the national medication agency here). 

However, the grey zones are rapidly becoming less attractive for an industry that has both survived if not thrived in the Pandemic and further, seen significant progress just over national borders within the same region.

Indeed, both Spain and Greece are front and centre for announcements of further reform, and activists if not the flourishing industry are well aware of the same, not to mention what is afoot in Central and South America. That is why for many their new year’s resolution in 2022 is cannabis reform now, en españa.

The International Cannabis Business Conference is returning to Barcelona in March 2022! Book your tickets now!

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Spain Needs To Take Its Rightful Place As A Global Cannabis Leader

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

Spain, particularly Barcelona, has been home to a vibrant cannabis community for many years. Cannabis is very easy to acquire throughout most of Spain where roughly 1 out of every 10 adults consumes cannabis annually, and it’s no secret that Spain has long served as the top destination for world-class Moroccan hashish.

When it comes to cannabis clubs, Spain has some of the best on the entire planet. Home to roughly 47 million people, Spain is also home to hundreds of cannabis clubs with a majority of them operating in the Barcelona area. The clubs are private and require a membership, however, they are extremely popular and most people have been able to join if they are willing to jump through the necessary hoops.

Barcelona is one of the most beautiful cities on earth, and we are very excited to once again be teaming up with Spannabis to put on the world’s largest cannabis superconference this March. Barcelona is a hotbed for cannabis clubs due to a 2016 regulation approved by the Barcelona City Council which permitted cannabis clubs to operate in the city.

Unfortunately, that regulation was overturned in 2021 by Catalonia’s Superior Court, leaving Barcelona’s entire social cannabis club scene in a state of limbo. Technically, such clubs are considered to be illegal under Spanish law, however, with so many cannabis clubs already in operation shutting them all down is likely to prove to be an impossible task. Even if some get shut down, more will presumably open up.

Lawmakers Need To Accept Reality

Cannabis prohibition does not work, and there is zero evidence that it stops humans from consuming the cannabis plant. Instead, people just do it in the shadows, all the while living in fear. This also applies to cannabis clubs. The clubs in Spain serve a vital function for suffering patients by providing them safe access, and they provide a safer alternative for consumers compared to many other substances that are legal in Spain, including and especially alcohol. Prohibiting them will not make them go away. Rather, it will just make them less safe.

Spain is world-famous for its cannabis, its cannabis community, and specifically, its cannabis clubs. Rather than sticking their heads in the sand and acting as if the clubs will go away, lawmakers in Spain need to embrace cannabis clubs and let Spain take its rightful place as a global cannabis industry tourism leader.

Such a move would create jobs, generate public revenue via fees and taxes, and eliminate any costs to taxpayers that are tied to enforcing cannabis club prohibitions. Cannabis clubs are going to exist in Spain no matter what. Spain might as well regulate them and reap the benefits from doing so.

Spain Needs Adult-Use Legalization

Full adult-use cannabis legalization has obviously failed to pass in Spain as of this article’s posting. For many years it was easy for lawmakers in Spain to drag their feet, to refuse to take action, and to point their fingers elsewhere. That approach is going to be harder to stick with as cannabis legalization spreads across the European continent.

At the end of 2021, Malta became the first country in Europe to pass an adult-use legalization measure. Malta’s legalization model will include legalizing cannabis clubs, which will serve as the primary source for people to acquire cannabis beyond cultivating it themselves. Luxembourg, Italy, and Germany are all on the cusp of legalization. Certain jurisdictions in Switzerland and the Netherlands are participating in a legalization pilot program. All of that reform puts pressure on lawmakers in Spain to step up.

Spain is at a vital crossroads right now. Lawmakers in Spain can continue to cling to failed cannabis prohibition policies and only allow a very limited medical cannabis industry to operate, or they can embrace the emerging cannabis industry and benefit in ways that many other countries cannot due to how well-known Spain is for cannabis. Only time will tell which one it ends up being.

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British Food Standards Agency To Publish CBD Guidelines

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

The regulatory agency is about to release a guide of legal CBD products in the UK market

Sometime in the next few weeks, the British Food Standards Agency (FSA) will publish details about the CBD companies and products allowed to remain on sale in the UK market.

The move comes as 210 applications for CBD products are still in consideration. Late last year, the FSA claimed that the reason this document is almost 9 months late is because of the ‘quality of applications” was lower than expected.

It is now expected that the FSA will potentially issue several documents. One is a public list of validated products, the second is a list of applications for products likely to be approved.

While it is a frustrating process for all involved, it does create, at last, a formal regulatory and approvals infrastructure for CBD products specifically. 

This puts the UK ahead of several other countries at least on a regulatory front. This includes Germany, where CBD is still technically regulated under the German Narcotics Act (although CBD products are on sale in the country). It also includes Italy and France, which just issued national guidelines for the cannabinoid on December 31.

What Next?

The decision by the FSA could be the regulatory peg that the developing industry in-country hangs its hat on. This will, for the first time, allow a conversation to proceed that well may become the first regulatory schemata for the entire British industry. This in turn may help other cannabinoids, like THC, become more accepted.

So far, tragically, on the THC front, the British government has put the brakes on including medical cannabis as a covered prescription under national healthcare. As a result, the only medical cannabis available in the country is imported and further, not accessible to anyone who cannot afford both the medication and the prescription costs.

The Future of The British Cannabis Industry

It is unlikely that moving events on the continent are going to pass the UK by. Germany has just announced its intention to move forward with full boat recreational cannabis. Luxembourg, Malta, and presumably Luxembourg will all move forward in this year. Beyond this, the French have finally begun to accept CBD as a legitimate cannabinoid.

It is unlikely the Brexited British will sit this one out entirely. 

How fast further reform will come, however, is still very much in the air. The silver lining of this cloud, however, is that cannabis reform has moved another step forward in the UK.

Stay abreast of European cannabis industry developments by attending the International Cannabis Business Conference in Barcelona, Berlin, and Zurich this year.