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Q’3 Overview Of The German Medical Cannabis Market

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Medical.

As the leaves begin to turn this year and the days grow shorter, a period also known as Q’3 2020, what and where is the status of the German medical cannabis market?

That is a very good question, in part because of the evolving shape of both the medical and non-medical market here.

In summary, here are the major takeaways:

Nobody Knows How Many Patients There Actually Are: By industry estimates and reports drawn from the public reporting of Germany’s association of public health insurers (GKV), there have been about 100,000 applications so far since 2017 to the major statutory health insurers (who cover 90% of the population). Of these, it is estimated that there are about 60,000 regular patients. The amount of actual patients however is currently unknown.

When one counts the actual number of activist patients, those who are buying and or cultivating in collectives, or who go to the black market out of sheer frustration in getting a doctor to write a prescription (or affording flower in a pharmacy), the pool of real patients in Germany is much, much larger.

Further medical reform here is clearly in the offing no matter how slow. And no matter how delayed German grown cannabis has been here, it is coming – distributed via one specialty distributor in Frankfurt. 

A former health minister and vice-chancellor of Germany also just made waves, if not a strong political statement when he recently joined the board of a Swiss cannabis company.

Imports Will Continue To Play A Large Role: There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that exports from the rest of the world (and increasingly, NOT Canada) are entering the German medical market.

This is true of both the medical and not medical market (including industrial hemp and what hemp extract can find its way to market in a variety of tortured routes).

The Hemp Market Is Still Intriguingly Bizarre: The British are setting sail in a new direction on all things hemp and CBD. Brussels, in the meantime, is very scientifically confused, or perhaps just bureaucratically diplomatic. They lose nothing by having their hands pushed by a new UN decree on the status of cannabis now on the schedule for December. The losers, generally, are hemp producers in Europe who are not ready to play the game of hop, skip and specialty import supply chain tactics. There is light in other words, but also clearly a bit of tunnel left to go.

Be sure to book your tickets for the International Cannabis Business Conference next year when it returns to Europe.

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Indonesia’s Agriculture Minister: Cannabis Is Not Medicine

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Medical.

The cannabis plant is medicine. That is a fact that is often refuted by cannabis opponents despite the overwhelming evidence in support of the claim.

Cannabis has been used for medical purposes for centuries all over the world. Countless suffering patients all over the globe have used cannabis to successfully treat their conditions.

It is always worth noting that cannabis is a safer form of medicine compared to virtually all pharmaceutical drugs, and unlike those drugs, cannabis can be somewhat easily cultivated by the patients themselves.

Unfortunately, Indonesia’s Agriculture Minister feels that cannabis is not medicine, and is revoking a previous declaration that cannabis is a medicinal plant. Per The Jakarta Post:

The Agriculture Ministry will revise a 2020 ministerial decree that lists marijuana as a “medicinal plant” under the ministry’s supervision.

Signed on Feb. 3, the decree includes marijuana (Cannabis sativa) as one of 66 medicinal plants whose production is under the supervision of the ministry’s horticulture directorate general.

The decree went viral on Friday after the Nusantara Marijuana Network (LGN) posted a photo of the document on its Instagram account, @lgn_id.

This is an unfortunate and unfounded move by Indonesia’s Agriculture Minister. Cannabis is absolutely medicine, and the revoking of the previous decree is obviously motivated by political opinions and not by science and compassion.

Indonesia has historically been one of the harshest countries when it comes to cannabis policy so this move is not entirely unexpected, although it is still very disappointing to see.

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British Government Health Service Plans To Manufacture Cannabis Oil

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Medical.

Ah, the irony. After decades of resisting cannabis reform, the British government-funded National Health Service (NHS) has established plans to manufacture CBD oil itself. Why? To prepare for a clinical trial to study the efficacy of medical CBD on children with severe epilepsy.

The ironies are indeed large.

For starters, the once-vaunted and now struggling British NHS has also not managed to issue any prescriptions that approvers have passed through the gate. This has in turn forced legitimate patients and their families to turn to a variety of highly unappealing, expensive and in some cases, still illegal options.

The one company which has benefited from this situation, GW Pharmaceuticals, and for over 20 years, has been forced to lower prices on their own CBD-based drugs in the last year as the NHS has been forced to deal with the issue of cannabis reform. However, this is not yet low enough, apparently, which is why the government itself is in effect nationalizing production to determine efficacy.

It is not an entirely unprecedented move. The German government has essentially “bought” the first cannabis cultivation crop in Germany and is using this to drop sky-high prices that have been a feature of the legitimate market since its kickoff in 2017.

However, like the German government, the attention, noise and fuss are still “just” on the CBD market. The issue of medical THC is still a highly controversial one, and so far, at least in the UK, one that the government does not yet seem to want to address.

German Vs. UK Market Development

In Germany, physicians are increasingly approving cannabinoid drugs, even though there is still a highly complex interplay between government price and cost controls and the companies that operate in this space. There is high THC medical-grade cannabis being grown here – even though it is not enough to meet demand. Thus the export market.

Unlike the UK, THC reform was included in government plans. This does not mean that things are “good” on the ground in Deutschland – indeed there are many issues on the ground here. However, unlike the UK, Germany at least has admitted that THC has medical efficacy.

Where Everything Gets Weird

As just about everyone in the industry knows at this point, the fact that the European Commission is considering reclassifying CBD as a “narcotic” is sending shock waves through an already strange discussion no matter what the UK is calling itself these days.

One thing is very clear. Nobody is sure what to do about cannabis. It’s not a bird, and it’s not a plane. 

Stay tuned for more intriguing, if decidedly strange, developments.

The International Cannabis Business Conference will be returning to Europe next year. In the meantime, stay tuned for the strangest twists and turns of the entire story yet by signing up for our newsletter!

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Ireland Is Delivering Medical Cannabis To Patients Who Cannot Travel To The Netherlands

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Medical.

Every suffering patient deserves safe access to proven medications that help treat their condition(s). Anyone who disagrees lacks compassion. Unfortunately, not every suffering patient has safe access to a popular, effective, and safe medication – the cannabis plant.

A number of countries continue to prohibit cannabis, even for medical purposes. Among the list of countries that do allow medical cannabis, many have programs that are so limited that most suffering patients are left on the outside looking in.

Ireland is home to a limited medical cannabis program, which results in many suffering patients traveling to The Netherlands in order to obtain cannabis. Traveling is much harder right now due to the ongoing pandemic.

Fortunately for the limited number of approved patients in Ireland, their government is helping bridge the gap. Per The Times:

The Department of Health is delivering medicinal cannabis to patients during the pandemic due to travel restrictions and quarantine requirements.

There are about 30 patients with a licence from the government which allows them to travel to the Netherlands to collect medicinal cannabis.

For the 30 patients that this program helps, this is a great thing. However, for the remaining countless suffering patients in Ireland, the gesture by the government is obviously meaningless.

The suffering patients of Ireland deserve to have a comprehensive medical cannabis program – one that helps all suffering patients and allows them to cultivate their own cannabis, in addition to other robust safe access options.

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British Virgin Islands Moves Forward On Medical Use

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Medical.

In a move that will undoubtedly see cannabis medical tourism go to new heights in the Caribbean, the British Virgin Islands’ House of Assembly passed a bill to legalize the production and use of cannabis in early July.

The Cannabis Licensing Act, 2020 provides a framework for medical marijuana use but adults can also possess up to one gram without filling out any paperwork. With a self-declaration form, adults can possess up to 50 grams. More than this will require a prescription from a medical practitioner.

In a move designed to please the tourist industry, visitors can possess cannabis as “therapeutic users” if they self-register.

Cultivation
The government will dedicate 50 acres of land for the cultivation of cannabis and is clearly gearing this into an economic development project for farmers. Cultivation will of course also be licensed by the government.

Beyond the considerable domestic trade this is likely to create, the government is also looking at export possibilities.

Questions About Tourism – On and Off Land
The Caribbean may well be the place where some of the more interesting rules about cannabis use are defined in the coming decades. Because these are international waters, the use of cannabis on the high seas remains an issue that is under the jurisdiction of international law. Yet after December, when the World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to change the classification of THC, this too will change.

Medical cannabis yachting tours may well become one of the hot growth industries of the next decade. But in the meantime, the “land-lubber” local tourist industry will inevitably experience a shot in the arm that other jurisdictions, certainly in the midst of a COVID-19 meltdown, may well emulate. Especially if cannabis itself is found to be in any way a preventative if not curative.

What Goes Down In The Caribbean May Also Happen In The Mediterranean
One of the reasons that this is such a bell-weather decision right now is that the other tourist hotspot with beaches that tends to follow similar trends, is located in and around Europe. The yachting and boating economies of French and Spanish coast communities have been devastated by the pandemic. 

A similar kind of move across the Pond, in other words, might be in the cards. 

In Spain, political parties have increasingly advocated linking cannabis reform with economic development. This clear signal in one of the hottest tourist spots in the world might be just the ticket to move the conversation in similar waters elsewhere.

For the latest updates on how the global cannabis industry is evolving, be sure to book your tickets to the next International Cannabis Business Conference when the conferences return to Europe.

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Veterans Affairs Canada Spent More On Medical Cannabis Than Any Other Medication In 2019

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Medical.

Many military veterans all around the world suffer from one or more health conditions, often related to their years serving their countries. Canada is no exception.

The range of conditions is wide, with military veterans in Canada suffering from all types of ailments including chronic pain, poor mental health, and various diseases. Some military veterans retired from service perfectly healthy, but age-related ailments began as the veterans became older.

Military veterans in Canada have been prescribed all types of medicines, with some being safer than others.

One medicine that has proven to be safe and effective is cannabis, and fortunately for the health of Canadian military veterans, Veterans Affairs in Canada spent an enormous amount of money in 2019 making sure that veterans had enough cannabis.

In fact, more was spent on medical cannabis than any other medication. Per Salt Wire:

The Department of Veterans Affairs spent $77,794,212.57 last year on marijuana.

That is more than the department spent ($66.2 million) on the 12,000 other drugs approved to be prescribed for veterans.

It’s inspiring to see Canada’s government stepping up in this way. It would be fantastic to see every other government take such a compassionate approach, including and especially the United States government, which continues to block even basic attempts to improve safe access to cannabis for military veterans.

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Israel Government Permits Medical Cannabis Exports

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Medical.

Israel is a true pioneer when it comes to medical cannabis policy and cannabis research. After all, it was in Israel that International Cannabis Business Conference alumni Raphael Mechoulam first isolated THC.

The results and findings from cannabis research that was conducted in Israel have benefitted the entire world, not just Israel. The United States has especially benefitted from Israel’s research because of how long research has been hindered in the U.S.

Unfortunately, Israel is behind in one very key area of medical cannabis policy – exports. Knowledge and research may have made it past Israel’s borders, however, the same has not been true for legal medical cannabis products. Fortunately, that is changing. Per The Jerusalem Post:

A free export order for medical cannabis products was signed by outgoing Economy Minister Eli Cohen on Wednesday, approximately 16 months after the government approved exports of locally grown medical cannabis for the first time.

Exporters interested in selling permitted cannabis goods abroad will be required to receive a license from the Health Ministry once the free export order enters into force in another 30 days.

Allowing legal cannabis exports out of Israel is a policy change that is way overdue. Israel possesses more knowledge about medical cannabis than arguably any other country on earth, and suffering patients in other countries should be able to benefit from that knowledge via access to Israeli medical cannabis products.

Entrepreneurs inside and outside of Israel also deserve to help facilitate getting quality products into the hands of suffering patients. Every country should be able to import and export medical cannabis products in a similar fashion that other proven medicines are able to be legally imported and exported.

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Albania Moves Closer To Legal Cannabis Cultivation

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Medical.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced that the country’s legislators are close to concluding a draft law allowing the cultivation of medical cannabis. He made the announcement during a live conference of “Europe Day” on May 9.

Albania has long been criticized for being a major transit point for drugs of all kinds entering Europe from Asia and Latin America as well as a major source of black market cannabis grown in the country itself.

The Albanian proposal appears to be modeled on its neighbour, North Macedonia’s model, with a long stretch of coast on the Mediterranean. The country, like North Macedonia, also borders Greece to the south.

However, like North Macedonia, successful companies will be required to have a million euro bank guarantee and at least 15 employees. This means that only the largest cultivators, and presumably those with foreign contacts, will be able to qualify for licenses. Like North Macedonia, Albania is not yet a part of the EU. Indeed efforts to control illegal trafficking are part of the country’s plan to become an EU state.

Currently, cannabis possession in the country is still illegal. There is no medical marijuana program, although presumably, the passage of the new law will begin to create a structured pathway for patients to access the drug and doctors to prescribe it.

Illicit cannabis trafficking first came to the attention of authorities in the 1990s after the fall of the communist state, when cannabis cultivation that had mainly been concentrated in the south of the country became more widespread – and for the simple reason of trying to find some kind of economic stabilization in the turbulent years that followed, including a bloody civil war.

In 2012, Albanian police seized almost twice as much illicitly grown cannabis as they had the year before. In 2013, Albania made global headlines when police tried to shut down production in Lazarat, a region considered the centre of illicit production in the mountainous southern region of the country. About 90% of the villages in the region were thought to be involved in the illegal trade of cannabis in some way. Indeed villagers mounted an armed resistance that involved the populace of all ages.

Between 2014 and 2018, police in Albania cracked down dramatically on illegal cultivation of the plant. In 2016, estimates placed the illegal market at 3.5 billion euros – or about half of the entire Albanian GDP for the year. By the mid-2000’s, 77% of the cannabis in Italy actually originated in Albania, carried across the Ionian Sea in speedboats.

For an up-to-date snapshot of the European cannabis market, be sure to book your tickets for the return of the International Cannabis Business Conference to Europe in Fall 2020

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Albania Is Close To Legalizing Medical Cannabis

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Medical.

Cannabis is medicine. That is a fact that is worth repeating over and over. For proof of that fact, all people have to do is look at the growing body of studies and research backing up the claim, as well as the countless personal testimonies of suffering patients that have successfully treated their condition(s) with medical cannabis.

The cannabis plant has been used as a medicine for many centuries, and by that measure, it was only fairly recently that anyone claimed that cannabis is not medicine. Fortunately for suffering patients, more and more countries are getting on the right side of history and legalizing cannabis for medical use.

Some countries still prohibit medical cannabis, however, some of them are moving in the right direction. One of those countries is Albania, which recently announced that it is very close to unveiling a draft proposal that would legalize medical cannabis. Per Exit News:

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced today that the government is preparing a draft law that would legalize the cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

During a joint conference with EU ambassador Luigi Soreca, Rama said that the government has been working with foreign and local advisers for a year and the draft law would be made public soon. He also highlighted the importance of learning from other countries’ experiences with medical marijuana.

For what it’s worth, Albania will be able to take the best components of other countries’ medical policies and incorporate them into their own law. It obviously would have been better if Albania legalized medical cannabis years ago, or even better, never prohibited medical cannabis in the first place.

However, it is better to look forward than to dwell on the past for the purpose of this policy change, and hopefully Albania’s medical cannabis model helps as many suffering patients as possible. It will be disheartening if Albania’s medical cannabis program proves to be too limited, with suffering patients failing to receive safe access to a proven medicine. Ultimately, only time will tell what happens.