International Cannabis Business Conference Blog – Page 19 – International Cannabis Business Conference

Australian Study Finds Medical Cannabis Use Improves Sleep

Written by Frank Schuler on April 27, 2025. Posted in Science.

To some people, insomnia may not seem like a serious health condition, however, anyone who suffers from major insomnia will be the first to point out that it can have a negative and significant impact on a person’s life and their overall well-being.

The Mayo Clinic defines insomnia as “a common sleep disorder that can make it hard to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep, or cause you to wake up too early and not be able to get back to sleep.” Chronic insomnia occurs when the sleep condition lasts longer than a month.

In addition to making a person feel tired and drained throughout the day, insomnia can also be an indicator of a person experiencing one or more other potentially serious health conditions. A team of researchers affiliated with the University of Sydney recently conducted a study that found that after one year of medical cannabis use, subjects experienced improved sleep.

The results of the study were published in the academic database PLOS One earlier this month.

“We aimed to assess overall health-related quality of life (HRQL), pain, fatigue, sleep, anxiety, depression, and motor function in a large real-world sample of patients prescribed medicinal cannabis. We previously found all patient-reported outcomes improved in the first 3-months and hypothesised that improvements would be maintained to 12-months.” the researchers stated.

“The QUEST Initiative, a multicentre prospective study, recruited adult patients with any chronic health condition newly prescribed medicinal cannabis oil between November 2020 and December 2021. Participants identified by 114 clinicians across Australia completed validated questionnaires at baseline, then 2-weeks titration, and 1-,2-,3-,5-,7-,9- and 12-months follow-up.” the researchers stated about their study’s methodology.

“Statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in overall health-related quality of life, fatigue, and sleep disturbance were maintained over 12-months in patients prescribed medical cannabis for chronic health conditions. Anxiety, depression, insomnia, and pain also improved over time for those with corresponding health conditions.” the researchers concluded.

PTSD Patients Experience Sustained Improvements After Medical Cannabis Use

Written by Frank Schuler on April 27, 2025. Posted in Science.

International health researchers estimate that roughly 4% of the world’s total population suffers from some form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is one of the most common mental health conditions around the globe.

PTSD is typically treated via several different therapies, with common examples including different types of trauma-focused psychotherapy as well as pharmaceutical medications. Many of the pharmaceutical medications commonly used to treat PTSD can yield undesirable side effects.

A recent study conducted in the United Kingdom examined medical cannabis therapies and PTSD, with the researchers finding that the study’s subjects experienced sustained improvements following medical cannabis use. Below is more information about the study and its results via a news release from NORML:

London, United Kingdom: Patients diagnosed with post-traumatic stress experience significant long-term benefits following their use of medical cannabis preparations, according to data published in the journal Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics.

British researchers assessed changes in patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following the use of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs). (British health care providers may prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products to patients unresponsive to conventional medications.) Two hundred and sixty-nine patients with post-traumatic stress enrolled in the United Kingdom’s Medical Cannabis Registry were enrolled in the trial. Participants’ symptoms were assessed at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months.

Consistent with other observational studies, “significant improvements in post-traumatic stress symptoms, anxiety, sleep quality, and HRQoL were observed at all follow-up points.” Symptomatic improvements were sustained for the entire study period (18 months).

Other observational studies assessing the use of cannabis products among patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry have reported them to be effective for those diagnosed with cancer-related pain, anxiety, fibromyalgia, inflammatory bowel disease, hypermobility disorders, depression, migraine, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, and inflammatory arthritis, among other conditions.

Full text of the study, “UK Medical Cannabis Registry: An updated clinical outcomes analysis of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder,” appears in Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics. Additional information on cannabis and post-traumatic stress is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.

Hemp-Lime Building Blocks Could Revolutionize Construction

Written by Johnny Green on April 25, 2025. Posted in Science.

Humans have used the hemp plant for thousands of years, with the first evidence of human use dating back to 8,000 BCE in modern-day Taiwan, where archeologists found pottery remains containing hemp cord. Humans have also used hemp as a source for medicine since at least 2,800 BC, with the hemp plant being listed in the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung’s pharmacopoeia.

These days, hemp is still used for fiber and making various textiles, and is a source for medical products on a level never witnessed before in human history. However, hemp is also used for a wide array of other things, including bioremediation to clean up toxic sites around the world, for creating batteries, and to create the building material hempcrete.

The latter of those, hempcrete, is a bio-composite made of the inner woody core of the hemp plant mixed with a lime-based binder. The inner woody core or ‘shiv’ is high in silica content, and that allows it to naturally bind really well with lime. It is a property that is seemingly unique to hemp among all of the known natural fibers.

Currently, hempcrete is primarily used as an insulating and fill-in material. It weighs about a seventh or an eighth of the weight of concrete, floats in water when fully cured, has a negative CO2 footprint, and is nearly fireproof (at least compared to other popular building materials). One limitation of hempcrete is that it is not used as a structural element because it is not a load-bearing material.

The limitation of hemp as a source for load-bearing construction material could soon become a thing of the past, with the Cologne University of Applied Sciences reportedly having developed new hemp-lime building blocks potentially capable of being used as a material for load-bearing structures.

“These zones, like conventional hemp limestone blocks, are to be composed exclusively of biomass and mineral binders. According to the project participants, the aim is to create a climate-positive alternative to aerated concrete blocks or lightweight vertically perforated bricks, enabling single-shell masonry construction from rapidly renewable raw materials.” reported Allgemeine Bauzeitung in its local coverage (translated from German to English).

The Institute for Construction and Agricultural Machinery Technology at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences is reportedly developing a device that will be designed to produce compacted bricks made of hemp on a large scale. The resulting bricks will undergo testing to further explore their efficiency and application feasibility.

“In the second half of our project, we will devote ourselves to practical tests with our masonry blocks. We will erect several wall modules and examine their structural properties. In addition to properties such as load-bearing capacity, thermal insulation, and moisture behavior, we want to determine which materials, such as plaster and mortar, are compatible with the blocks and demonstrate that the blocks can be easily processed using conventional tools,” said project leader Prof. Dr. Arne Künstler from the Faculty of Architecture at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences according to Allgemeine Bauzeitung.

If the project’s research can prove that hemp-lime building blocks can be used as a load-bearing construction material, it would revolutionize the construction industry. Producing hemp is exponentially more sustainable compared to the production of most traditional construction materials. Cement production, for example, is a significant source of pollution around the globe.

German Scientists Call For Further Development Of Legalization

Written by Johnny Green on April 25, 2025. Posted in Policy, Science.

Roughly a year after Germany’s government implemented the first provisions of a national adult-use cannabis legalization measure, members of Germany’s scientific community are urging lawmakers and regulators to make further improvements to the nation’s legalization model.

“In light of the evaluation of the cannabis law announced in the coalition agreement, experts from health and legal sciences are clearly speaking out against reversing partial legalization, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung.” the German Cannabis Business Association (BvCW) stated in a recent newsletter (translated from German to English).

“They recommend maintaining decriminalization, legally protecting cultivation clubs, and scientifically investigating the long-term effects of the law. Legalization limited to personal possession and acquisition without a legal production and distribution system makes neither health nor security policy sense.” BvCW wrote in its newsletter.

“Instead of commercialization following the North American model, they see the German model as an opportunity to research distribution through cannabis clubs—for the first time on this scale worldwide—and thus gain reliable new insights for evidence-based cannabis policy.” BvCW also stated.

Cannabis is currently legal for adult use at a national level in Uruguay, Canada, Malta, Luxembourg, Germany, and South Africa. Additionally, regional adult-use cannabis commerce pilot trials are operating in the Netherlands and Switzerland, and two dozen states in the U.S. have adopted recreational legalization.

Out of all of the legal recreational jurisdictions on the planet, none of them have the exact same legalization model. Current European Union agreements prohibit member nations from allowing robust adult-use cannabis sales like what is found in the Western Hemisphere.

However, EU agreements do permit member nations to allow adult-use cannabis activity to boost public health and research efforts. As of April 1st, 2024, adults in Germany can cultivate, possess, and consume a personal amount of cannabis. They can also join one of the nation’s licensed cultivation associations, and soon, they will be able to enroll in a regional adult-use pilot trial.

Berlin Cannabis Offenses Down Almost 75% Since Legalization

Written by Johnny Green on April 25, 2025. Posted in Policy.

One year after the initial components of adult-use cannabis legalization took effect in Germany, cannabis offenses are down nearly 75 percent in Berlin. Starting on April 1st, 2024, adults in Berlin can possess up to 25 grams of cannabis when away from their homes, up to 50 grams in their private residences, and they can cultivate up to three plants in private for personal use.

“Since the partial legalization of cannabis in Berlin, the number of related crimes has decreased significantly. Between April 2024 and March 2025, the police registered approximately 2,300 offenses. In the same period last year, there were approximately 8,430 cases, according to a response from the Berlin Health Administration.” reported t-online in its local coverage translated from German to English.

“Most violations concerned illicit trafficking (1,175 cases) and the illicit distribution and transfer of cannabis (550 offenses). In addition, around 120 administrative offenses were recorded, such as smoking marijuana near playgrounds.” the outlet also reported.

Adult consumers, German courts and law enforcement, and ultimately German taxpayers, have all greatly benefited from the CanG law. Consumers no longer face prosecution for personal cannabis activity, the nation’s court system is no longer jammed up with needless cannabis consumer cases, German law enforcement is freed up to focus on fighting real crime, and taxpayers no longer have to foot the bill for enforcing harmful, ineffective cannabis consumer prohibition policies.

The Institute for Competition Economics at the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf previously conducted an analysis finding that adult-use legalization could yield as much as 1.3 billion euros per year in savings for Germany’s police and judicial system.

The Biggest Winners Of German Legalization So Far

Written by Johnny Green on April 22, 2025. Posted in Business, Policy.

More than a year after the first provisions of Germany’s adult-use legalization law took effect, domestic and international cannabis policy and industry observers continue to evaluate the impact of the policy modernization change.

Starting on April 1st, 2024, adults in Germany can cultivate, possess, and consume a personal amount of cannabis. Additionally, cannabis was removed from Germany’s Narcotics List as part of the nation’s CanG law. The changes in German public policy have had a positive effect on society, industry, and government.

“One year of the cannabis law is already a complete success for me, because it’s a year without criminalization and unnecessary persecution. Access to support services has been made easier, and there’s more education going on, which is precisely one of the health policy goals. The fact that cannabis clubs are now also emerging shows that there’s a movement here as well. This will noticeably reduce the black market, similar to home cultivation.” stated Dirk Heidenblut (former member of the Bundestag), according to Merkur (translated from German to English).

Earlier this month, the new governing coalition in Germany announced that, at least for the time being, there will be no changes to the CanG law. Evaluations of German cannabis policy and regulations will be ongoing, but the coalition’s announcement was welcomed news for cannabis advocates and industry members.

The coalition announcement comes after polling found little support for a CanG reversal. A recent YouGov poll has found that a minority (38%) of the nation’s citizens support reversing German adult-use cannabis legalization.

Additionally, according to the results of a Forsa survey commissioned by the KKH Kaufmännische Krankenkasse, 55% of surveyed Germans do not want to repeal the nation’s CanG adult-use legalization law. Only 36% of the Forsa survey respondents indicated that they want to repeal legalization, with the rest being undecided.

Arguably, the biggest winner of German adult-use legalization so far is the nation’s medical cannabis industry and the patients it serves. According to a recent report by the Bloomwell Group, prescriptions for medical cannabis in Germany increased by roughly 1,000% between March 2024 and December 2024. The report also found that prices for medical cannabis products are decreasing in Europe’s largest medical cannabis market.

During the first three full months following Germany’s enactment of the CanG adult-use legalization law (Q3 2024), legal medical cannabis imports increased by over 70% compared to the previous period.

Another major winner is Germany’s home cultivation sector. According to a recent survey by the German Cannabis Business Association (BvCW), consumers reported that ‘seeds and accessories (e.g. grow box sets) for home cultivation and cannabis flowers, followed by humidity regulators for storing cannabis,’ were the most frequently sold out items in their area.

The Institute for Competition Economics at the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf previously conducted an analysis that found that adult-use legalization could yield as much as 1.3 billion euros per year in savings for Germany’s police and judicial system.

Germany’s legalization model is not perfect, and advocates must continue to push for improvements. With that being said, the CanG law is clearly better than cannabis prohibition, and it is superior to other policies in place in other European nations.

Budapest March Protests Against Cannabis Prohibition

Written by Hazel Norman on April 22, 2025. Posted in Policy.

Over the weekend, the internationally recognized cannabis holiday 4/20 took place worldwide, with events, gatherings, and demonstrations occurring in several jurisdictions. One such gathering was held in Budapest, Hungary, where cannabis advocates protested the nation’s cannabis prohibition policies.

“The event was held by Hungarian political party ‘Two-Tailed Dog’, with participants pointing out that alcohol has a far more serious negative effect and causes greater social harm than marijuana, the consumption of which is criminalised.” reported EuroNews in its coverage.

“At the Million Marijuana March event, MKKP co-chair Zsuzsanna Döme argued that alcohol and designer drugs cause much greater social harm, yet the government criminalises the usage of marijuana by young people.” the outlet also reported.

Whereas numerous European nations have modernized their cannabis policies to permit safe access to medical cannabis, and in some cases recreational cannabis, Hungary has seemingly trended in the opposite direction.

Currently, most European countries have operational medical cannabis programs. Cannabis is legal for adult use in Malta, Luxembourg, and Germany, and regional adult-use cannabis commerce pilot trials are operating in the Netherlands and Switzerland.

“A demonstration for legalising marijuana held on Easter Sunday “is a shameless provocation”, László Horváth, the government commissioner for eliminating drug dealing, has said, vowing that the protest would be “the last” of its kind.” reported Daily News Hungary about Sunday’s protest.

Italian Court Upholds Classification Of CBD As A Narcotic

Written by Hazel Norman on April 21, 2025. Posted in Business, Policy.

Italy’s emerging cannabis industry was dealt another major setback recently, with an Italian court ruling that cannabidiol’s (CBD) classification as a narcotic is permissible. A previously approved measure in Italy equated floral hemp with cannabis flower that is high in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content.

“In yet another blow to Italy’s beleaguered hemp sector, the Lazio Regional Administrative Court (TAR) has rejected an appeal by stakeholders challenging the government’s restriction of oral CBD products, solidifying a ban that has drawn sharp criticism from legal and trade experts.” reported HempToday in its coverage.

“Italy has now effectively banned all oral compositions of CBD derived from the cannabis plant, including extracts from flowers, leaves, or stalks, limiting them strictly to prescription-only pharmaceutical use. The decision expands prior restrictions, which only applied to flower-derived CBD.” the outlet also stated.

According to a recent economic report, Italy’s cannabis light industry employs over 20,000 people.

“The light cannabis sector has a direct economic impact of almost one billion euros, with another additional billion of indirect impact, and the creation of 22 thousand full-time jobs.” reported Dolce Vita in its original coverage.

“These are the recently updated estimates of the Italian light cannabis market, therefore relating only to inflorescences (without CBD oils and shredded) developed in a study by MPG Consulting, led by the specialized economist Davide Fortin together with the lawyer Maria Paola Liotti and commissioned by the Canapa Sativa Italia association.” the outlet also stated.

Brazilian Study Finds Cannabis Extracts Are Effective For Pediatric Autism Patients

Written by Frank Schuler on April 21, 2025. Posted in Science.

When it comes to administering medical cannabis to pediatric patients, safety and caution are paramount. Doing so should always involve the advice, guidance, and approval of a licensed medical doctor who specializes in pediatric care.

While cases of medical cannabis being prescribed to pediatric patients are rare compared to prescriptions for non-pediatric patients, such cases do exist and rightfully so. Cannabis is medicine, as a growing list of peer-reviewed studies and individual patient cases demonstrates.

A team of researchers in Brazil recently conducted a study involving cannabis extracts and pediatric autism patients, finding that the extracts were both safe and effective. Below is more information about the study and its results via a news release from NORML:

São Paulo, Brazil: The use of cannabis extracts containing standardized percentages of CBD and THC safely mitigates autism symptoms in children, according to a systematic review of trial data published in the journal Cureus.

Brazilian researchers reviewed findings from seven studies (three randomized clinical trials and four observational studies) involving 494 younger patients with autism spectrum disorder. Study participants consumed extracts dominant in cannabidiol.

Researchers reported, “CBD-rich formulations may hold promise for managing certain ASD symptoms. Improvements were noted in anxiety, sleep quality, social effects, and behavior, although these findings varied across studies. Importantly, adverse events were generally mild and occurred at similar rates in cannabinoid and placebo groups, supporting the intervention’s safety profile.”

The study’s authors concluded, “More rigorous, well-designed RCTs [randomized controlled trials] are necessary to confirm these results and establish clear treatment guidelines for cannabinoid use in ASD.”

Full text of the study, “Efficacy and safety of cannabinoids for autism spectrum disorder: An updated systematic review,” appears in Cureus. Additional information on cannabinoids and ASD is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.