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carmen wegge photo by Anna Voelske

German SPD Will Not Support Draft Cannabis Amendment “Under Any Circumstances”

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

Last month, Germany’s Health Ministry released a draft medical cannabis amendment that seeks to roll back Germany’s medical cannabis regulations significantly. The proposed changes contained within the draft amendment include:

  • Mandatory in-person doctor consultations
  • A ban on mail-order medical cannabis dispensing
  • Stricter rules for medical cannabis prescriptions

Fortunately, not everyone in Germany’s governing coalition is in favor of the proposed changes. Leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) was recently asked what the SPD’s position on the draft amendment is, and what the SPD will do to oppose the announced amendment.

“The Federal Ministry of Health wants to restrict telemedicine and prescribe only after personal contact and no longer allow mail delivery.” a concerned member of the public asked on the platform Abgeordnetenwatch (translated from German to English), as originally reported by krautinvest. “What is the SPD’s position on this? And what, if anything, does it intend to do to oppose the change?”

“The Ministry of Health, under the new Union Minister Warken, has now presented a draft bill intended to address the increase in imports of medical cannabis. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, this is primarily due to the increased use of private prescriptions for self-payers via online platforms, without any doctor-patient contact. Therefore, misuse of medical cannabis is assumed. The ministry has stated that, for patient protection, it intends to ensure consultation before consumption and therefore restrict online sales.” Ms. Carmen Wegge, SPD member of the German Bundestag, stated in her response to the inquiry (translated from German to English).

As alluded to by Ms. Wegge in her response to the inquiry, Germany’s Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) recently published medical cannabis import data for the second quarter of 2025, and once again, Germany’s emerging legal medical cannabis industry set a new record for import totals.

In the second quarter of 2025, Germany imported 43.257 tonnes of medical cannabis products according to BfArM’s data. That is an increase over the previous record set in Q1 2025 of 37.519 tonnes, and a significant increase compared to Q2 2024 when Germany imported 11.634 tonnes of medical cannabis products. Below is a graph of historical import totals from BfArM:

germany medical cannabis imports 2024 and 2025

“For us as the SPD, however, in addition to protecting and adequately advising patients, it is crucial to ensure reliable, local, and accessible care. Digital care is particularly important for people with chronic and/or serious illnesses, as well as in areas with inadequate primary care. Therefore, we will not support the current version of the bill under any circumstances.” Ms. Wegge also stated.

“In the upcoming discussions, we will therefore develop a solution that will ensure that medicinal cannabis remains readily accessible to all patients who need it, while simultaneously ensuring patient protection. The initial draft bill from the Federal Ministry of Health will now be discussed with experts in the ministry and subsequently debated in the cabinet before a decision is made there and a potential draft bill from the ministry is submitted to the Bundestag. In the Bundestag, it will be discussed in the relevant specialist committees, and Struck’s Law applies, which stipulates that no bill leaves committee deliberations in the same condition as it was submitted. Many negotiation steps will therefore still take place before a possible decision is made in the Bundestag, and we as the SPD will advocate for a good solution for patients.” Ms. Wegge added.

“Even though we must primarily defend the drug policy achievements of the last legislative period, we will not lose sight of the goal. I remain convinced that full legalization of cannabis, in compliance with European law, and its sale in licensed specialist stores is the best way forward, and that medical care must be made as simple as possible. I can assure you that I will fight for political majorities that make this possible, and I will not shy away from discussions with the Union.” Ms. Carmen Wegge concluded.

(The featured image of this article of Bundestag member Carmen Wegge is a photo by Anna Voelske.)

signature signatures campain citizen initiative referendum

Activists Gather Signatures For Cannabis Legalization Vote In Belize

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Policy.

Back in May 2025, cannabis advocates in Caye Caulker, Belize, launched a petition seeking to place an adult-use cannabis legalization measure on an upcoming local ballot. Caye Caulker is a small island off the coast of Belize in the Caribbean Sea.

The petition, led by Caye Caulker Village Councillor Ilya Rosado, needed to collect hundreds of signatures from registered voters to place it on the ballot in an upcoming election. Organizers were aiming for the Village Council elections on June 29, 2025, and missed that deadline, although they may have succeeded in getting it in front of voters in October 2025.

“The group, Legalize It Caye Caulker, has secured a major victory in its push for legislation to create a responsible, regulated, and taxable legal cannabis industry. The group’s petition aimed at triggering a referendum on marijuana legalization has been certified as successful by the Elections and Boundaries Department. The petition garnered 365 approved signatures, surpassing the required threshold of 25% of registered electors.” reported LoveFM in its local coverage.

“In a letter to Governor General Dame Froyla Tzalam, on July 31, the department stated that out of the 1,360 registered electors in Caye Caulker Village, 25% or 340 signatures were needed to validate the petition. A total of 380 signatures were submitted, and after a thorough review, 365 were approved, accounting for 26.84% of the total registered electors.” the outlet also reported.

When voters in Caye Caulker get the chance to vote on the petition, they will be asked, “Should the Government of Belize pass legislation to create a responsible, regulated, and taxable legal cannabis industry on the island of Caye Caulker, with a portion of the revenue going directly for the benefit of Caye Caulker and its residents?”

If the vote is held and the measure is approved, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will become law automatically, even at a local level. Leadership from the Belize Ministry of the Public Service, Constitutional and Political Reform and Religious Affairs has already pushed back on the measure since it will be a local vote on a national issue.

“We have national laws. We don’t have laws that are specific to areas, to regions, and so on. And so certainly there is a school of thought that’s saying that a local election can only deal with local issues. It should not deal with national issues.” stated Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Governance. “We certainly will have to be guided by the attorney general. As I said, these are national issues that would have to be looked at, looking at national laws, looking at the national budget and so on. And so the attorney general will have to advise the government on the way forward.”

Germany Bundestag Berlin

Autumn 2025 Could Be Pivotal For German Cannabis

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

As the summer months of 2025 are coming to an end and the autumn season approaches, the eyes of the international cannabis community will continue to be fixed on Germany, where policymakers, regulators, and researchers are expected to make some major announcements that could prove to be pivotal for the future of Germany’s industry.

The first interim report from the ongoing EKOCAN evaluation of Germany’s Consumer Cannabis Act (KCanG) is scheduled for release on October 1, 2025. The evaluation will consider, among other things:

  • Consumption rates and behaviors of various age groups
  • Cannabis use prevention among youth
  • Impact on public health outcomes, including mental health
  • Public roadway safety
  • Impacts on criminal activity
  • Impacts on Germany’s court system

“To this end, a wide variety of data will be compiled (e.g., from ongoing studies on the topic or from public administration), our own surveys will be conducted (e.g., with public organizations directly involved in the topic, as well as consumers and cultivation associations), and the data will finally be evaluated with regard to the aforementioned overarching objectives.” states the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) on its website (translated from German to English).

“The evaluation will make an important contribution to answering the question of how the law is being implemented in everyday life and whether the intended effects of the law are being achieved. Furthermore, the evaluation should provide reliable evidence for potentially necessary legislative adjustments.” BMG also states.

Some initial findings from the EKOCAN project and its project manager, Dr. Jakob Manthey, have already surfaced via original reporting by krautinvest. One of the major takeaways from the initial findings is that reported cannabis consumption rates were already on the rise in Germany leading up to the enactment of the CanG law, and Dr. Manthy determined that the rise was due to older individuals reporting cannabis use.

Regarding younger consumers, which is a demographic often focused on by cannabis opponents in their talking points, Dr. Manthy “sees no anomalies since the Cannabis Act came into force,” according to krautinvest’s reporting, and that Dr. Manthy doesn’t assume “that any changes can be attributed to the Cannabis Act.”

Other high-level takeaways from the initial evaluation findings are that there aren’t enough cannabis cultivation associations in Germany, that there are no “short-term changes” regarding public roadway safety, legalization has not increased reported mental illnesses, and that the CanG law has significantly lowered cannabis-related criminal offenses in Germany. It will be interesting to see if those initial findings are included in the upcoming interim report in October.

Another major item that members of the cannabis community inside and outside of Germany need to have on their radars relates to decisions on pending applications for regional adult-use cannabis commerce pilot projects. The pending applications and looming decisions were touched on in the German Cannabis Business Association’s (BvCW) recent newsletter.

“To date, 58 applications for research projects have been submitted under Section 2 (4) of the KCanG, 32 of which are so-called model projects. The first decisions on applications by the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food are expected in the third quarter of 2025.” BvCW wrote in its newsletter this week (translated from German to English).

Regional adult-use cannabis commerce pilot trials are part of the second phase of Germany’s legalization model, and were initially expected to launch by the end of 2024. However, German pilot launches have experienced a series of delays.

Hopefully the delays have run their course, and approvals will be announced soon. Adult-use pilot trials are already operating in the Netherlands and Switzerland, with no major issues being reported.

Cannabis plant flower bud budding flowering

Half Of Guernsey’s Deputies Support Cannabis Decriminalization

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Policy.

Guernsey is the second-largest island located in the English Channel, and a self-governing British Crown dependency. Guernsey, which is located near the French coast, has experienced increasing momentum for cannabis policy modernization in recent years.

A survey of policymakers in Guernsey was conducted back in 2022, asking if they supported cannabis reform, and more than half expressed support for at least taking a look at how cannabis is governed. A more recent survey has found that half of Guernsey’s deputies currently support reform.

“Half of Guernsey’s deputies support decriminalising cannabis, according to research by the BBC.” reported BBC in its local coverage. “Eleven of the island’s 38 politicians have said they are either undecided on the issue, or will wait to see any proposals before making a decision.”

“While four have expressed their opposition, while (sic) 19 supported plans to decriminalise the Class B drug locally.” the outlet also reported.

Even if the current push to update Guernsey’s cannabis laws proves to be successful at a local level, there is no guarantee that the modernized policy approach will be enacted. This is due to the concept of ‘royal assent.’ A somewhat recent example of the royal assent concept blocking cannabis policy reform can be found in the unfortunate case of Bermuda.

A historic cannabis reform measure was passed by lawmakers in Bermuda in 2022. However, because Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory, all new laws have to receive royal assent, signifying the monarchy’s approval of the locally approved law.

The Governor of Bermuda at the time, who was appointed by the United Kingdom, did not provide royal assent to Bermuda’s measure, effectively vetoing the approved measure. In 2023, the denial of royal assent was hinted at in Guernsey, and there is currently no evidence that the monarchy’s opinions have changed on the matter.

Grenada Flag

Draft Bill Would Allow Adult-Use Cannabis Activity In Grenada

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Policy.

A majority of governments around the world have modernized their cannabis laws and regulations in recent years as they pertain to medical cannabis activity, to varying degrees. Some governments have comprehensively overhauled their medical cannabis public policies to permit robust commerce involving a wide array of products, while others have made more limited changes to permit hemp-derived product sales to patients experiencing a narrow set of qualifying conditions.

Adult-use cannabis policy modernization is rarer around the globe right now compared to medical cannabis reform, but momentum for recreational cannabis legalization is increasing with every passing year. Grenada, an island nation located in the Caribbean, is a country where lawmakers are pursuing adult-use cannabis reform.

“Agriculture Minister Lennox Andrews has confirmed that the proposed amendment to the Drug Act, which will decriminalise cannabis for recreational and religious use, will prohibit people under the age of 21 from being in possession and using cannabis.” reported <a href=”https://nowgrenada.com/2025/08/draft-bill-marijuana-use-and-possession-only-for-21-years-and-over/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”><em>Now Grenada</em></a> in its recent local coverage.

“This is a fundamental difference to the bill that was laid in the House in 2021 by the previous New National Party (NNP) Administration. That bill was laid for first reading and did not receive Parliamentary approval because of the June 2022 General Elections. It allowed anyone over 18 to have 28 grams or 0.987671 ounces of marijuana and allowed each homeowner over the age of 18 to grow no more than 5 trees.”

Cannabis is currently legal for adult use at a national level in Uruguay, Canada, Malta, Luxembourg, Germany, and South Africa. Lawmakers in the Czech Republic approved a national recreational cannabis legalization measure earlier this year, with the law set to take effect on January 1st, 2026.

Uruguay became the first country to legalize cannabis for adult use at a national level back in 2013, and set the legal age to 18 years old. Canada set the federal age limit to 18 when it adopted national legalization in late 2018, although most individual jurisdictions in Canada have raised their local age limit to between 19-21 years old.

Malta, Luxembourg, Germany, and South Africa have all set their legal age limits to 18 years old, and Czechia will have a legal age limit of 21 years old once its law takes effect.

south africa flag

Advocates Push For Private Cannabis Clubs In South Africa

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

South Africa is on a short but growing list of countries that have adopted national adult-use cannabis legalization measures. South Africa is joined by Uruguay, Canada, Malta, Luxembourg, and Germany, which all adopted recreational cannabis legalization measures before South Africa. The Czech Republic also recently adopted a national legalization measure.

The modern adult-use legalization law in South Africa actually started in late 2018 when the nation’s Constitutional Court deemed cannabis prohibition against private consumers to be unconstitutional. The landmark court decision was finally codified in 2024 by the nation’s lawmakers.

Policymakers and regulators are still working to properly set up South Africa’s recreational cannabis industry, and if advocates have their way, the nation’s legalization model will expressly include private cannabis clubs.

“A new initiative to unify private cannabis clubs to lobby for legal recognition has just been launched. The South African Cannabis Clubs Alliance (SACCA) says the time is critical for the private club movement to speak with one voice ahead of the anticipated release of draft regulations that will empower the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act.” reported Cannabiz Africa in its local reporting.

“SACCA’s launch does come at a time of mounting pressure on authorities to draft regulations to combat the growing cannabis retail ‘Grey Zone’, the omniglot of thousands of unlicensed businesses dealing in cannabis across the country. To date, conflicting court decisions have cast clubs into a legal ‘no man’s land’ where the best they can strive for in terms of compliance, is to be ‘technically’ not illegal.” the outlet also reported.

As part of its advocacy, the South African Cannabis Clubs Alliance has launched a website, stating on it that the organization seeks to “ensure that self-regulated Cannabis Clubs are formally recognised in future cannabis legislation, with compliance requirements embedded into law to promote safety, transparency, and legitimacy.”

“SACCA is committed to an inclusive, transparent drafting process, inviting participation from a broad spectrum of stakeholders — including cultivators, legal experts, health professionals, traditional healers, activists, and community members.” the organization also states on its website.

The South African Cannabis Clubs Alliance has created ‘foundational documents’ that it is encouraging members of South Africa’s emerging industry to weigh in on, and the drafting phase for the documents will remain open until February 2026.

“In March 2026, the finalized SACCA documents will be formally submitted to all relevant government departments as part of the push for recognition and regulation of Private Cannabis Clubs in South Africa.” states SACCA on its website.

cannabis plant

Uruguay Updates Legal Cannabis Prices

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

Uruguay became the first country in history to adopt a national adult-use cannabis legalization measure in 2013. Multiple nations have since adopted national recreational cannabis legalization measures, but Uruguay will always hold the title of being the first to do so.

Sales of legal adult-use cannabis flower launched in Uruguay’s pharmacies in 2017, and part of Uruguay’s model is having pre-set prices for all recreational cannabis products sold in pharmacies. Periodically, regulators in Uruguay update those prices, which happened recently in the South American country.

When pharmacy sales began in 2017, Uruguay’s market initially offered two flower strains for consumers to choose from. The first is a strain named ‘Alfa, ‘ and the second strain is named ‘Beta,’ each with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels equal to or less than 9%, and cannabidiol (CBD) levels equal to or less than 3%.

Then, in 2022, Uruguay permitted a third option, ‘Gamma,’ which has a THC level of equal to or less than 15%, and CBD levels of equal to or less than 1%. A fourth strain named ‘Épsilon’ was introduced to Uruguay’s legal market in October 2024. Épsilon has a THC level of equal to or less than 20%, and CBD levels of equal to or less than 1%.

“The Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis (IRCCA) announced the new prices for adult-use cannabis dispensed in pharmacies.” reported Montevideo in its local reporting (translated from Spanish to English). “Along these lines, the agency ordered a $10 increase as part of the semiannual update corresponding to August of the new product prices.”

The updated pricing for each strain is below, in Uruguayan pesos:

Since Uruguay adopted its legalization model, Canada, Malta, Luxembourg, Germany, South Africa, and the Czech Republic have also adopted national legalization measures. However, out of the countries that have legalized cannabis for adult use, only Uruguay currently has a set-price model for legal products.

The theory behind Uruguay’s approach to cannabis pricing is that by offering cannabis through the nation’s pharmacies and keeping prices reasonable, it combats the unregulated market. Legal cannabis purchases in Uruguay are limited to residents only. Over 75,000 consumers have registered to make legal purchases through the nation’s pharmacies.

Saarbrücken Saarland Germany

Saarland Cannabis Social Club Receives Cultivation Approval

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

One of the main components of Germany’s adult-use cannabis legalization model is permitting consumers to join a member-based cultivation association. German cultivation associations are also sometimes referred to as ‘cannabis social clubs.’

Per our prior reporting, as of last month, 293 cultivation association applications had been approved by regulators in Germany, and hundreds more applications are pending. At least one application had been approved in every German state except Saarland. The southwestern German state was a notable holdout, but it has reportedly finally approved its first application.

“In Saarland, the first Cannabis Social Club (CSC) has received a permit from the state government to cultivate cannabis communally.” reported Saarbrücker Zeitung in its local reporting (translated from German to English). “The responsible Ministry of the Environment announced this in response to an inquiry by the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ).”

“Saarland is thus the last federal state to issue a cultivation permit. The Saarland SPD state government had spoken out against the legalization of cannabis in the Bundesrat (Federal Council).” the outlet also reported.

Starting on July 1st, 2024, adults in Germany can apply to their local authority to launch a cultivation association. Once approved, adult cannabis consumers in Germany can become members of the association and source products legally. German adults can only be members of one association at any given time, and additional association regulations apply.

Whereas current European Union agreements prohibit national adult-use cannabis sales, such as what is occurring in Canada and Uruguay, EU agreements do permit member nations to allow cultivation associations since they fall under the umbrella of boosting public health outcomes. Malta also includes cultivation associations in its national recreational legalization model.

A major premise of the European recreational cannabis policy modernization effort is that when adults consume regulated cannabis or cannabis that they cultivate themselves, it is better for public health outcomes compared to when adults consume cannabis from unregulated sources.

That premise is the basis for the European Union allowing Malta, Luxembourg, Germany, and the Czech Republic to adopt national adult-use cannabis legalization measures. Recreational cannabis legalization measures are also currently being considered in Slovenia and Switzerland.

cannabis plants

Comparing U.S. And European Cannabis Legalization

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Policy.

Starting in 2012 with Colorado and Washington State, jurisdictions in the U.S. began to modernize their cannabis policies to permit adult-use cannabis activity. In some cases, the reform efforts involved legalizing sales of recreational cannabis products. Today, two dozen states in the U.S. have adopted adult-use legalization, as well as Washington D.C.

In recent years, adult-use cannabis policy modernization has spread to the European continent. The first European nation to adopt a national recreational cannabis law was Malta in 2021, followed by Luxembourg in 2023 and Germany in 2024.

Earlier this year, lawmakers in the Czech Republic also adopted a national adult-use cannabis legalization measure, with the new law set to take effect on January 1st, 2026. A national adult-use cannabis legalization measure was recently introduced in Slovenia, and policymakers in Switzerland are also considering a national recreational legalization measure.

At the state level in the U.S., and the national level in Europe, no two legal jurisdictions have the same model. Every jurisdiction permits differing cultivation, possession, and commerce policies and regulations to some degree.

In the U.S., most legal cannabis states permit home cultivation, but not all of them. Washington State is a noteworthy example. Despite being one of the first legal states in the U.S., along with Colorado, Washington still prohibits adult-use home cannabis cultivation. Illinois also does not permit adult-use cultivation.

Additionally, most legal recreational jurisdictions in the U.S. permit adult-use cannabis product sales, but there are exceptions. Virginia allows legal adult-use cannabis possession, but not sales. Washington D.C. also permits personal adult-use activity, but not adult-use product sales.

Vermont was the first state in the U.S. to legalize via legislative action, and initially did not permit adult-use cannabis sales, but later modernized its adult-use model to permit sales. All the while, cannabis has remained a Schedule I substance at the federal level in the United States, and all adult-use activity is prohibited at the federal level, but ‘tolerated’ at the state and district levels.

A somewhat similar public policy scenario exists in Europe, where European Union agreements largely prohibit modernized adult-use cannabis policies and regulations, but do allow limited national-level legalization to proceed in some ways.

Current European Union agreements prohibit national adult-use product sales, like what is occurring in Canada and Uruguay, but do allow reform measures to be adopted by its member nations if they fall within research and ‘boosting public health outcome’ parameters.

Home cultivation is so far a standard component of adult-use legalization models in Europe. Malta, Luxembourg, and Germany all permit home cultivation by adults, and once Czechia’s legalization law takes effect, it will also allow home cultivation.

Limited adult-use commerce of non-cannabis light products occurs legally via two channels in Europe right now. The first is via cultivation associations, in which consumers become members of an association and source their cannabis products. Malta and Germany permit cultivation associations, but Luxembourg does not, and when Czechia’s law takes effect, it will also continue to prohibit cultivation associations.

The other EU-approved legal channel for recreational cannabis commerce is regional adult-use cannabis pilot trials. Pilot trials are already operating in the Netherlands and Switzerland, even though both nations have yet to adopt national legalization measures, and pilots are expected to launch someday in Germany too. The legalization models in Malta, Luxembourg, and Czechia do not include pilot trials.

One of the biggest differences between the United States and Europe’s adult-use policy modernization efforts is the way that they are described. Europe’s recent policy modernization models are often described as ‘decriminalization’ even though they would constitute ‘legalization’ in the United States.

The difference between how the two are described is often in the eye of the beholder. Many cannabis policy reformists in the United States do not consider policies to be true legalization unless they involve permitted home cultivation. Conversely, many advocates in Europe do not consider policies to be true legalization unless national adult-use sales are permitted.

My home state, Oregon, became the first state in the U.S. to adopt a cannabis decriminalization measure in 1973, removing the criminal charge associated with possessing a personal amount of cannabis and replacing the penalty with a fine.

Later, in 2014, voters in Oregon approved a measure that removed the fine and allowed adults to possess a personal amount of cannabis with no penalty at all. In my personal opinion, that is the difference between decriminalization and legalization, but I also respect the opinions of other longtime cannabis activists who feel differently.

I am hopeful that in the not-too-distant future, lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean will adopt sensible, harmonized cannabis policies and regulations so that consumers and patients are protected, and the industry can reach its full potential.