International Cannabis Business Conference Blog – Page 79 – International Cannabis Business Conference

Cannabis Associated With Improved Symptoms In Fibromyalgia Patients Per New Study

Written by Frank Schuler on May 28, 2023. Posted in Science.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues.”

Fibromyalgia is a serious problem across the globe, affecting people of all ages. It is estimated that as many as one out of every twenty people on the planet suffers from the condition to some degree.

Unfortunately, there is currently no known cure for fibromyalgia. However, researchers in the United Kingdom recently found evidence that medical cannabis products can be an effective treatment for some fibromyalgia patients. The study also found that patients reduced their use of opioids. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

London, United Kingdom: Fibromyalgia (FM) patients who use cannabis products for at least one month report improvements in their health-related quality of life, according to observational data published in the journal Brain and Behavior.

British investigators assessed the safety and efficacy of plant-derived cannabis products (either oils, flower, or a combination of both) in over 300 FM patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. All of the participants possessed a doctor’s authorization to access cannabis products. (Since 2018, specialists have been permitted to prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products to patients unresponsive to conventional medications.) Authors assessed the efficacy of cannabis at one, three, six, and 12 months.

Researchers reported: “Statistically significant improvements [were] observed in validated fibromyalgia-specific, pain, sleep, anxiety, and health-related quality of life metrics. Furthermore, a statistically significant reduction in opioid consumption was seen at the end of [the] follow-up. … CBMPs [cannabis-based medicinal products] were generally well-tolerated.”

They concluded, “CBMP treatment was associated with improvements in fibromyalgia-specific symptoms, in addition to sleep, anxiety, and health-related quality of life. … Subgroup analysis suggests that those with prior exposure to cannabis were likely to experience improvements in more domains, as well as fewer adverse events, [as] compared to cannabis-naïve counterparts.”

Prior studies assessing the use of cannabis products in patients enrolled in the UK registry have similarly reported them to be effective and well-tolerated among those suffering from chronic pain, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, depression, migraine, inflammatory bowel disease, and other afflictions.

Fibromyalgia patients frequently self-report using cannabis to successfully manage symptoms of the disorder. Israeli data published late last year reported that cannabis therapy is associated with quality of life improvements in FM patients who have previously failed to respond to conventional prescription medications.

Full text of the study, “Assessment of clinical outcomes in patients with fibromyalgia: Analysis from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry,” appears in Brain and Behavior. Additional information on cannabis and fibromyalgia is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.

Cannabis Is Not Predictive Of Adverse Cardiovascular Events According To Meta-Analysis

Written by Frank Schuler on May 28, 2023. Posted in Science.

Every so often mainstream media headlines pop up claiming that cannabis increases the risk of various cardiovascular diseases. Typically, when someone dives deeper into the studies behind those headlines they quickly realize that the headlines are based on junk science (at best).

Headlines like that are meant to scare the public, presumably so that they will support continued prohibition. However, prohibition is where the true harm lies and cannabis is not predictive of an adverse cardiovascular event, as demonstrated by a recent study out of Thailand. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Bangkok, Thailand: A history of cannabis use is not associated with a significantly increased risk of suffering from an adverse cardiovascular event, according to review data published in the journal Toxicological Reports.

Investigators reviewed findings from 20 observational studies involving over 183 million subjects. They reported, “Cannabis use was not significantly associated with acute MI [myocardial infarction], stroke, [or other] adverse CV [cardiovascular] events.”

Researchers cautioned, however, that it remains unclear whether certain formulations of cannabis (such as higher THC products) and/or heavier patterns of use might potentially be associated with a more elevated risk. Therefore, they opined that their results should be interpreted with caution.

“To the best of our knowledge, the current study is the first meta-analysis regarding cannabis-related adverse cardiovascular events, including acute MI and stroke, though there are some systematic reviews on this topic,” they concluded. “Contrary to the notions based on previous literature and biological explanations, this meta-analysis found that cannabis use insignificantly predicts all major cardiovascular adverse events. … However, considering the heterogeneity among studies, it is vital to take a cautious stance toward the findings. Specific conditions of cannabis use such as cannabis preparation, route of administration, dosage, duration, and time after exposure can affect outcomes, and further investigations are needed.”

The investigators’ findings are similar to those of a 2021 literature review of 67 studies published in The American Journal of Medicine , which concluded, “[M]arijuana itself does not appear to be independently associated with excessive cardiovascular risk factors.”

Full text of the study, “Cannabis and adverse cardiovascular events: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies,” appears in Toxicological Reports.

How Will German Legalization Affect Europe’s Emerging Cannabis Industry?

Written by Johnny Green on May 22, 2023. Posted in Business, Policy.

As a long-time cannabis activist in the United States, I have personally witnessed the ‘cannabis political butterfly effect.’ Cannabis activists worked at the state level to legalize medical cannabis for many years with no victories in the United States, although it wasn’t for lack of effort.

That all changed in 1996 with the passage of medical cannabis legalization in California. That one victory would quickly prove to be the first domino that would knock over several others in the years that followed, with state after state passing measures via citizen initiative or legislative action.

The same thing happened with adult-use legalization. The first states to legalize in the U.S. were Colorado and Washington in 2012, and roughly a decade later the list has grown exponentially to 22 states, two territories, and Washington D.C. Both policy shift patterns demonstrate the butterfly effect.

This is not to say that every reform victory sets off a public policy chain reaction. Obviously, Uruguay legalized cannabis for adult use and it was not until a handful of years later that Canada did the same, and then a few years after that before Malta passed its own legalization measure. Those examples highlight that not all prohibition dominos are created equal.

One international legalization domino is looming over all the rest right now – Germany. Germany is in the middle of a historic push to pass a national legalization measure, and we now know many of the policy facets that will be involved, although it’s still unclear what many of the regulatory requirements will be.

What is clear is that Germany is likely to spark a series of similar reform measures being introduced and passed in other countries, particularly in Europe. It is completely logical to assume that there will be a policy butterfly effect once Germany legalizes, unlike what has happened so far in Canada, Uruguay, and Malta.

Germany shares more borders (9) with other countries than any other nation in Europe. It is very unlikely that successful legalization in Germany will fail to move the needle in the region. Leaders in the Czech Republic have already publicly indicated that they will follow Germany’s lead, and presumably, several other countries are just waiting for Germany’s process to get further along before they do the same.

Germany is home to the world’s fourth-largest economy and holds tremendous political influence at the continental and global levels. Legalization in Germany is going to encourage countries throughout the world to get on the ride side of history and work to end cannabis prohibition at a level never previously witnessed since the dawn of prohibition.

This is all stellar news for the emerging legal international cannabis industry, as every reform victory yields new opportunities for entrepreneurs, investors, industry service providers, etc. Cannabis reform is on the move around the world, particularly in Europe, and that directly benefits overall industry pursuits.

With that being said, there are still many questions to be answered, not the least of which are how fast can people expect things to start moving, and where should they focus their attention. Some nations are going to move faster than others, and some markets are going to be worth holding out for compared to other markets that may have a lower barrier to entry but less profit potential.

Figuring that all out is not an easy task, and that is why we are encouraging people to come to learn straight from one of the best in the business at the upcoming International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin on July 29-30^th. Renowned international cannabis expert Peter Homberg will provide a keynote address dedicated to the topic of how legalization in Germany will affect the international cannabis industry. Peter Homberg is a partner at Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, and possesses a wealth of knowledge of cannabis policy and industry trends.

Over 5,000 cannabis leaders from over 80 countries will be represented at the International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin and that includes representatives from every sector of the industry as well as leading international cannabis policymakers and industry service providers. Attend the International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin to network with investors, entrepreneurs, industry regulators, and international policymakers and take your industry pursuits to the next level.

Secure your tickets now before the event is sold out!

Spain’s Minister Of Health Says Medical Cannabis Regulations Are On The Way

Written by Hazel Norman on May 22, 2023. Posted in Policy.

Spain has long served as a unique home for cannabis public policy. Technically, medical cannabis is prohibited in many instances in Spain, with the nation’s legal medical cannabis industry largely built around research and exports.

Domestic medical cannabis patients are almost always left on the outside looking in and have to resort to unregulated sources for their medicine. Fortunately for patients, medical cannabis is fairly easy to acquire in Spain from private cannabis clubs, however, the situation highlights that Spain’s cannabis model is in desperate need of improvement.

When patients and providers have to operate in an unregulated environment, there is a considerable amount of uncertainty involved and that makes it difficult to keep things going at times. Unregulated industries are ripe for selective enforcement towards providers, and patients may end up buying untested products that are not as ‘clean’ as they could be.

Advocates have pushed for reform in Spain for many years, and yet, success has remained elusive. Medical cannabis patients and industry members were hopeful that 2022 would be the year for a regulation bill to get to the finish line just to see their hopes dashed. Fortunately, the nation’s Minister of Health is signaling that movement is on the way. Per El Planteo:

The Minister of Health of Spain, José Manuel Miñones , announced that before the end of May he will present a report that will allow the regulation of the use of medicinal cannabis in the National Health System (SNS) . The news came after some parliamentarians have claimed the delay in the analysis of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (Aemps), whose term ended in 2022.

Miñones also apologized for the delay in his first appearance before the Health Commission of the Lower House. Congress had ruled in favor of regulating medical cannabis in June 2022, and the subcommittee in charge had given Aemps a period of six months to issue recommendations.

What is being proposed is instead of regulating the nation’s private cannabis clubs, patients will be able to legally acquire medical cannabis and products derived from medical cannabis via one of Spain’s licensed pharmacies.

In some countries, such as the United States, pharmacies are not used to dispense medical cannabis outside of a handful of pharmaceutical-grade products. In other countries, such as Germany, pharmacies are used to serve as the backbone of safe access for suffering patients. Whether something meaningful comes out of Spain or not is something that we will all have to wait and see.

Australian Researchers Find Sustained Improvements In Medical Cannabis Patients’ Health-Related Quality Of Life

Written by Frank Schuler on May 21, 2023. Posted in Science.

This should be obvious, but the true measurement of something being a medicine or not is if it helps improve someone’s quality of life. Unfortunately, that measurement has not historically been applied to cannabis, and in many countries that is still the case.

Cannabis is not prohibited due to it being an unhealthy substance, but rather, prohibiting cannabis supports various political and non-cannabis industry efforts. The cannabis plant is one of the most versatile plants on earth and is indeed medicine, and that was/is ‘bad for business’ for various people in power around the world.

Thankfully, there is a growing body of research that supports the fact that cannabis is medicine, and slowly but surely cannabis prohibition is eroding. A recent study out of Australia found that medical cannabis patients’ health-related quality of life improved after the use of medical cannabis. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Melbourne, Australia: Patients suffering from pain, cancer, anxiety, and insomnia report significant, sustained improvements in their health-related quality of life following the use of cannabis products, according to observational data published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

Australian researchers evaluated cannabis-related outcomes in a cohort of more than 3,100 patients authorized to use medical cannabis. (Under Australian law, physicians may only authorize cannabis products to patients unresponsive to conventional prescription treatments.) Study participants consumed various formulations of cannabis, with most patients using products high in CBD content. Most patients in the cohort were over 50 years old.

Consistent with numerous other studies, authors reported, “Patients using medical cannabis reported improvements in health-related quality of life, which were mostly sustained over time. Adverse events were rarely serious.”

They concluded: “In this retrospective case series, patients reported improvements … after commencing treatment with medical cannabis … on all eight [of the] health-related quality of life domains assessed. … Further high-quality trials are required.”

Observational trial data from a cohort of nearly 3,000 chronically ill patients in the United Kingdom also recently reported that the use of medical cannabis products is well tolerated and improves subjects’ health-related quality of life.

Full text of the study, “Assessment of medical cannabis and health-related quality of life,” appears in JAMA Network Open. Information on medical cannabis use is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Cannabis Use by Older Adult Populations.’

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Is Legalization In Canada Linked To Upticks In Traffic Crashes?

Written by Frank Schuler on May 21, 2023. Posted in Policy.

Historically, in every single jurisdiction on earth where legalization was pursued and achieved, without exception, there were cannabis opponents spreading anti-cannabis myths and half-truths to try to deter voters or lawmakers from supporting reform.

One of the most popular areas of focus for cannabis opponents was, and presumably always will be, impaired driving. The talking point can come about in a variety of forms, however, the main premise of the talking point regardless of how it manifests itself is this – that if cannabis laws are reformed there will be terror on the roadways in the form of increased vehicle crashes.

Unfortunately for cannabis opponents, and fortunately for rational-thinking people worldwide, the data does not support opponents’ claims. A recent study out of Canada highlights what really happens (or doesn’t happen) after a nation legalizes cannabis for adult use. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Sherbrooke, Canada: Neither the passage of adult use marijuana legalization nor the growth of retail cannabis sales is associated with any increase in motor vehicle accidents, according to data published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review.

Canadian investigators assessed trends in traffic crashes in Toronto in the years prior to and immediately following the adoption of adult-use legalization.

They reported: “[N]either the CCA [Canadian Cannabis Act] nor the NCS [number of cannabis stores per capita] is associated with concomitant changes in (traffic safety) outcomes. … During the first year of the CRUL’s [cannabis recreational use laws] implementation in Toronto, no significant changes in crashes, number of road victims and KSI [all road users killed or severely injured] were observed.”

The findings are consistent with those of other Canadian studies. One study, published last year in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, “ found no evidence that the implementation of the Cannabis Act was associated with significant changes in post-legalization patterns of all drivers’ traffic-injury ED [emergency department] visits or, more specifically, youth-driver traffic-injury ED presentations.”

Another study, published earlier this year, similarly concluded, “Overall, there is no clear evidence that RCL [recreational cannabis laws] had any effect on rates of ED visits and hospitalizations for either motor vehicle or pedestrian/cyclist injury across Canada.”

Full text of the study, “Did the cannabis recreational use law affect traffic crash outcomes in Toronto? Building evidence for the adequate number of authorized cannabis stores’ thresholds,” appears in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana and Psychomotor Performance.’

Switzerland Cannabis Pilot Programs Set To Expand

Written by Hazel Norman on May 16, 2023. Posted in Business, Policy.

Switzerland is home to a cannabis commerce public policy experiment that is based on a concept which is seemingly growing in popularity in policy and regulatory circles. The concept, limited regional cannabis commerce pilot projects, is already in operation in Basel, Switzerland where 374 people between the ages of 18 and 76 can make legal adult-use cannabis purchases.

Additional pilot programs were approved for Zurich, Geneva, Lausanne, and Bern, with Bern’s pilot program set to launch this fall. The pilot program in Bern ‘plans to recruit 1,091 participants, including approximately 600 in the federal city’ according to domestic reporting.

Zurich is Switzerland’s largest city with a population of roughly 400,000 people, although the overall metro area pushes that number considerably higher. Zurich’s pilot program is expected to launch at the end of the summer and will involve 3,000 participants when fully operational. Participants will be able to make legal cannabis purchases from an expected 21 regulated outlets in Zurich.

Switzerland is not the only nation pursuing plans for regional pilot programs. Officials in Denmark are pursuing their own plans, and Germany is likely to eventually become the largest embracer of such public policy efforts. German lawmakers are working right now to hammer out details that will serve as the foundation for the nation’s pilot programs.

Officials in Frankfurt and Offenbach have already declared their intentions to launch pilot programs, and they are surely not alone. Germany will not be the first place where pilot programs are launched, however, the nation that serves as home to the largest economy in Europe will likely prove to be the place where pilot programs become the most common, and on a much larger scale than what will be found in Switzerland.

The expansion of pilot programs in Switzerland is worthy of celebration to be sure, although the scope of the nation’s pilot programs needs to be kept in proper context. They are very limited in size and are not coupled with noncommercial cannabis clubs like what is being pursued in Germany and proposed in the Czech Republic.

What Switzerland really needs, and this is true for every country on earth, is a robust cannabis policy that ensures safe access to all forms of medical cannabis for suffering patients, and incorporates regulated adult-use commerce for all cannabis products, regardless of THC content, to help boost public health outcomes.

Network With International Cannabis Investors At The Berlin Global Investment Forum

Written by Hazel Norman on May 16, 2023. Posted in Business, Policy.

Proper timing is a vital ingredient to success in every industry, and particularly so in the emerging international cannabis industry.

The legal cannabis space is still very young, especially at the global level, and many investors, entrepreneurs, industry service providers, policymakers, and regulators are networking extensively right now to figure out who to collaborate with.

Being at the right place at the right time can literally mean the difference between crushing it in the emerging industry in the coming years or fading away.

The upcoming International Cannabis Business Conference Global Investment Forum, taking place on June 27^th in Berlin, is the best time and place to effectively network with true global cannabis leaders, including top industry investors.

It is extremely rare that this many true global cannabis experts and leaders get together in one place, and even rarer for an event to host the caliber of individuals and entities that will be speaking and/or attending this specific forum.

Below is a list of speakers that will be participating in the Global Investment Forum in Berlin:

David Traylor – Senior Managing Director, Golden Eagle Partners
Peter Homberg – Partner, Dentons Head of European Cannabis Group
Ngaio Bealum – Conference Master of Ceremonies
Jamie Pearson – International Consultant, New Holland Group
Todd Born – Co-Founder and CEO, The Alpen Group
Steve Winokur – Global Head of Cannabis Investment Banking, Canaccord Genuity Corp.
Carmen Doran – CEO of Helius Therapeutics, Board Member of the New Zealand Medicinal Cannabis Council
Constantin von der Groeben – Co-Founder and Managing Director, Demecan
rer. nat. Adrian Fischer – Co-Founder and Managing Director, Demecan
Vera Broder – CEO, MHI Cultivo Medicinal SA.
Joel Redelman – Founding Partner, Redfield Group, Chairman, Promethean Biopharma
Benedikt Sons – Co-Founder, Managing Director and CEO of Cansativa Group
Robert T. Hoban – Member, Co-Chair of the Cannabis Industry Group, & Member-in-Charge of the Clark Hill Denver Office
Nic Easley – CEO, 3C Consulting & Multiverse Capital Managing Director
Alex Rogers – CEO & Executive Director, International Cannabis Business Conference
Oliver Lamb – Co-Founder and Investment Manager, Oskare Capital
Hilary Black – Pionner, Founder, and Advisor
Alex Revich – Equity Partner at Hybrid Pharm, Cannabis Education & Medical Parternships at Loosh Brands
Cornelius Maurer – Co-Founder, Demecan
Kai-Friedrich Niermann – Founder, KFN+ Law Office
Lewis Koski – Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) Metrc LLC
Lisa Haag – Founder, MJ_Universe
Giovanni Venturini Del Greco – Founder and CEO, Herbolea Biotech
Daniel Haymann – Legal Counsel, MME Legal
Trenton Birch – Co-Founder & CEO, Cheeba Africa
Luc Richner – CEO Founder, Cannavigia
Marcus Moser – MB & Partner, Zurich Und Moser consulting, Guglingen

The Global Investment Forum will be held at the Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin on June 27^th. A VIP reception will occur the night prior at the exclusive Adlon Terrace in the shadow of the iconic Brandenburg Gate.

Given the historical push to legalize cannabis in Germany right now, the setting for the Global Investment Forum VIP reception could not be better.

You can view the International Cannabis Business Conference Global Investment Forum’s full schedule at this link here. Ticket prices go up on May 17^th at 11:59 PM – register now and save!

Unpacking The Recent Historic Cannabis Court Decision In Uganda

Written by Johnny Green on May 13, 2023. Posted in Policy.

This month in Uganda has been one for the ages from a cannabis policy standpoint. Earlier in May, Uganda’s Constitutional Court in Kampala rendered a decision that reportedly nullified the nation’s entire Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act. The Court reasoned that the measure was passed “without the required quorum in Parliament.”

That decision set off a wave of celebration both within Uganda and beyond its borders, with many domestic and international cannabis observers touting the decision as the Court having ‘legalized cannabis.’ However, as with many cannabis-based court decisions handed down around the globe, the actual truth of the matter is not nearly as straightforward.

Judiciary Pushes Back On Claims Of Legalization

The Petitioners of the case in question, Wakiso Miraa Growers and Dealers Association Limited, argued that there was a ‘lack of quorum by Parliament’ during the initial process of passing the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act. Ultimately, Uganda’s Constitutional Court agreed with that argument, however, the Court adamantly disagreed with the assertion cannabis was legalized in the East African nation.

In a press statement, the Judiciary clarified that its ruling was fairly limited in scope and that it did not intend to legalize cannabis in Uganda via its recent decision. Rather, the Court expressly indicated that its intent was to nullify the process by which ‘provisions of sections 26, 29, 47, 49, and 60 (1) (b) and (c) of the National Drug Policy and Authority Act’ was adopted, but that substances ‘previously restricted under the National Drug Policy and Authority Act remain restricted’ and that ‘Parliament still reserves the power to legislate on the same subject’ if it wants to, which it presumably will.

The decision in Uganda was historic, however, not at the magnitude that many cannabis advocates had hoped, or in some cases, claimed. The fight to end cannabis prohibition in Uganda is, unfortunately, far from over. As such, cannabis advocates inside and outside of Uganda need to keep pursuing their efforts to achieve reform. Medical cannabis production is currently legal in Uganda, as are exports, however, the nation’s industry is still very limited by many measures.

Previous Cannabis Decisions In Other Countries

A cannabis-based court decision being rendered at a nation’s highest level, no pun intended, is not unique to Uganda. In September 2018, South Africa’s Constitutional Court rendered a unanimous ruling in which it deemed private, personal cannabis cultivation and consumption to be constitutional. The case stemmed from three consumers who were facing charges and argued that cannabis prohibition as it pertains to individual freedoms “intrudes unjustifiably into their private spheres.” Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo said at the time that, it will “not be a criminal offense for an adult person to use or be in possession of cannabis in private for his or her personal consumption.” The decision did not extend to anything beyond private, personal cultivation, possession, and consumption.

Roughly a month after the historic decision was issued in South Africa, a somewhat similar decision was issued in Mexico. In late 2018, Mexico’s Supreme Court determined that an outright prohibition of cannabis was unconstitutional. Part of the Court’s ruling involved tasking lawmakers in Mexico with passing a legalization measure by an initial deadline. Unfortunately, the initial deadline and all subsequent extensions have yet to be complied with, as obviously, no legalization measure has reached the finish line in Mexico all of these years later.

A third major decision occurred in Italy in late 2019, where the nation’s Supreme Court also deemed the prohibition of private, personal cannabis cultivation to be unconstitutional. The case stemmed from an individual facing charges for cultivating two plants. The decision in Italy was similar to the previous ones issued in South Africa and Mexico, in that the scope of the decision was somewhat limited, and much was left to lawmakers to figure out. And just as reform efforts have languished in Italy, the same is true in South Africa and Mexico. They are all examples of court cases being both contextually historic and yet ultimately limited in scope in the long run.