Policy – Page 46 – International Cannabis Business Conference

New Zealand Ministry Of Health Approves Medical Cannabis Changes

Written by Hazel Norman on August 2, 2023. Posted in Policy.

New Zealand’s medical cannabis industry and research efforts are set to receive a boost in the near future after the nation’s Ministry of Health approved several changes. The changes to the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Regulations 2019 aim to “better support economic and research opportunities for the medicinal cannabis industry sector.”

New Zealand’s medical cannabis law is still young compared to many other nations. While the nation’s industry is growing every year, many suffering patients are still going without proper safe access. The following changes should help:

broadening the types of cannabis plant forms that can be considered ‘starting material’ and ‘cannabis-based ingredient’
enabling the export of cannabis seed under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme
enabling export of starting material, cannabis-based ingredients and medicinal cannabis products (without needing to meet the minimum quality standard) for the purposes of testing, analysis or research
enabling import of cannabis-based ingredients and medicinal cannabis products (without needing to meet the minimum quality standard) for the purposes of testing, analysis or research
removing the requirement for consignments of starting material to meet the minimum quality standard before export
removing the requirement for cannabis-based ingredients and medicinal cannabis products to meet the minimum quality standard before export if they are manufactured to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and meet the quality requirements of the importing country
allowing a licence to possess controlled drugs (issued under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1977) to authorise non-therapeutic research activities using medicinal cannabis or industrial hemp.

Additionally, “a number of minor technical changes to update and clarify the minimum quality standard” were also made. Examples provided by the Ministry of Health include updated pesticide requirements, broadening the “permitted pharmacopeial tests, excipients and container material requirements,” broadening lab accreditation for certain tests, and reducing duplicative testing.

The new changes are expected to come into effect by the end of the year. While the changes are significant, only time will tell how much they impact New Zealand’s medical cannabis industry and patient base.

Opening Your Mind to the Future of Cannabis

Written by Hazel Norman on August 2, 2023. Posted in Business, Policy.

To truly understand the future of cannabis, it’s important to approach it from different angles and challenge existing perceptions and stigmas. This presentation from the recent International Cannabis Business Conference’s Global Investment Forum in Berlin by international cannabis expert Lisa Haag (founder of MJ_Universe) offers a fresh perspective on the cannabis industry, exploring its potential from a variety of viewpoints and shedding light on untapped opportunities. By breaking down barriers and opening our minds to new ideas, we can pave the way for a more innovative, inclusive, and successful cannabis industry.

We look forward to seeing you in Berlin in 2024, as well as at our upcoming science and technology event in Slovenia this September!

Albanian Parliament Approves Medical Cannabis Legalization Measure

Written by Johnny Green on July 24, 2023. Posted in Policy.

Albania’s Parliament recently approved a medical cannabis legalization measure. The bill, which appears to be a fairly general piece of legislation that is short on a lot of granular details, was approved by a 69-23 vote.

The successful medical cannabis legalization vote came amidst strong pushback from domestic cannabis opponents in Albania. The European nation has long served as a fairly difficult place to achieve reform due to the stigma surrounding the nation’s unregulated drug trade. Historically, Albania was a popular route for smuggling unregulated drugs, including unregulated cannabis.

Limited cultivation was approved as part of the measure, and that specific provision was subject to a particularly heavy focus by cannabis opponents who wished to keep full cannabis cultivation prohibition in place, regardless of the purpose of the proposed cultivation.

According to the Associated Press, when the left-wing Socialist Party government of Prime Minister Edi Rama took power in 2013 Albania’s government spent the next two years destroying illegal cannabis plants with “an estimated market value of 7 billion euros ($8.5 billion), more than two-thirds of the country’s annual gross domestic product at that time.”

While Albania remains a popular route for smugglers, and unregulated cannabis is still cultivated domestically, the war on cannabis is not at the fevered pitch that it was at roughly a decade ago. Albania would be wise to continue to work to modernize its medical cannabis policies, and hopefully, its adult-use cannabis policies as well.

Albania is home to a thriving cannabis community, albeit an unregulated one, and that is far from a new thing. That was very apparent in Season 3 of the hit cannabis reality show Growing Belushi in which famed entertainer and International Cannabis Business Conference speaker alumni Jim Belushi visited the country to discuss cannabis policy and industry.

Albania’s new law creates the ‘National Agency for the Control of Cannabis’ which will be tasked with overseeing the nation’s eventual legal medical cannabis industry.

German Lawmakers International Cannabis Business Conference Berlin 2023

German Policymakers Discuss Ongoing Cannabis Policy Modernization Effort

Written by Johnny Green on July 24, 2023. Posted in Policy.

It is very rare that you get to hear directly from sitting lawmakers that are literally in the midst of working to pass historic cannabis legislation that will dramatically affect the entire emerging international cannabis industry. However, that is exactly what happened at the recent International Cannabis Business Conference where German policymakers from multiple parties discussed ongoing cannabis reform efforts. The panel discussion is embedded below (please be aware that the discussion was conducted in German).

We look forward to seeing you in Berlin in 2024, as well as at our upcoming science and technology event in Slovenia this September!

Peter Homberg International Cannabis Business Conference Berlin 2023

German Cannabis Legalization Update – Keynote Speaker Peter Homberg

Written by Johnny Green on July 24, 2023. Posted in Policy.

Germany continues to trend towards modernizing its cannabis policies, and once legalization is achieved there, it will have a butterfly effect on the entire global cannabis industry. However, while the overall impact of German legalization at the macro level is fairly straightforward to understand, the same is not true at the regional market level, as some markets will be impacted more than others.

Renowned international cannabis expert Peter Homberg recently discussed the current state of German cannabis policy, ongoing modernization efforts, and what it means for the emerging cannabis industry as a keynote speaker at the recent International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin. Peter Homberg is a partner at the leading international business law firm Dentons. The embedded video below contains his keynote speech in its entirety.

We look forward to seeing you in Berlin in 2024, as well as at our upcoming science and technology event in Slovenia this September!

Limited Legalization Law Takes Effect In Luxembourg

Written by Johnny Green on July 23, 2023. Posted in Policy.

Luxembourg joined the short list of nations that have implemented a national, adult-use cannabis legalization law that is not based on a low-THC model. The only other nations to do so prior to Luxembourg are Uruguay, Canada, and Malta.

Compared to its predecessors, Luxembourg’s legalization model is more limited. First and foremost, there is no commerce component to Luxembourg’s new adult-use cannabis law. All sales are still strictly prohibited.

What is now legal in Luxembourg as of late this week is for adults to possess up to three grams of cannabis and to cultivate up to four plants in a secure location within their private residence. Home cultivation, and presumably gifting between adults, are the only legal ways to obtain cannabis in Luxembourg.

The only other country in Europe right now to explicitly allow such activity to occur is Malta. Malta passed an adult-use legalization measure in late 2021, and while the cannabis club provision of the law has yet to materialize, eventually noncommercial cannabis clubs will be allowed in Malta, unlike in Luxembourg.

Additionally, Malta permits adults to possess up to 50 grams of cannabis in their home, and 7 grams while away from their home, which is considerably more than what is now allowed in Luxembourg. Adults in Malta are also allowed to cultivate up to 4 plants in their private residences, versus the 3 plant limit in Luxembourg.

Before Luxembourg implemented its legalization model, Malta was easily the most restrictive legal nation on earth. Comparatively, Canada has the most robust legalization model on earth, followed by Uruguay. Both nations permit nationwide possession, sales, and cultivation, however, Uruguay limits legal sales to residents.

The elephant in the legalization room is still Germany, which continues to trend toward passing its own national legalization law. Once that happens it will likely open up the floodgates in Europe and beyond to varying forms of legalization.

Not too long ago, what legalization ‘looked like’ in the minds of many cannabis enthusiasts was much more uniform than what is actually playing out in reality. It may be a while before we see two countries with identical cannabis legalization models, and for that matter, we may never see two countries with carbon-copy national cannabis policies. Only time will tell.

For now, Luxembourg’s law is worthy of celebration, as long as people keep it in the proper context.

Ghana Approves Historic Cannabis Bill

Written by Hazel Norman on July 17, 2023. Posted in Policy.

Ghana recently became the latest country to pass a national medical cannabis legalization measure. The African nation’s parliament approved the ‘Narcotics Control Commission Bill, 2023’ mere days ago. The measure tasks Ghana’s Ministry of Interior with issuing cannabis cultivation licenses.

In 2020, Ghana’s parliament passed a measure authorizing the production of low-THC cannabis for medical and research purposes. However, the nation’s Supreme Court later deemed the measure to be unconstitutional, and as a result, kept prohibition in place. The measure that was approved in recent days in Ghana seemed to directly address the reported legal insufficiencies.

Ghana’s economy currently ranks 10th among African nations, however, it ranks 74th globally. The average salary in Ghana is roughly 60,340 GHS, which converts to about 5,292 USD. Needless to say, a robust, thriving medical cannabis industry would greatly benefit the citizens of Ghana via a boost in economic development and job creation.

The economic benefit to Ghana comes in addition to the wellness benefits that will be afforded to suffering patients under the new law. As is the case in every country, Ghana is home to countless suffering patients that could benefit from cannabis therapies.

The new law will not result in every suffering patient receiving safe access, however, it will be a welcomed policy change for the suffering patients that are able to be helped by the recently approved measure.

The African nation joins a growing list of other countries on the continent such as Morocco and South Africa that have taken steps to modernize their medical cannabis policies. No country in Africa has a medical cannabis policy as robust and progressive as can be found in North America, including Ghana, however, the continent is at least trending in the right direction at a macro level.

Africa is still home to some of the strictest cannabis policies on earth, and international cannabis observers need to be mindful of that fact. What African nations such as Ghana are implementing may not be the best medical cannabis policies at the global level, however, they are considerably better than outright prohibition.

Drug War Panel Berlin Germany International Cannabis Business Conference

Global Drug Policy And The Fight For Worldwide Cannabis Reform

Written by Johnny Green on July 11, 2023. Posted in Policy.

The global drug control policy landscape is shifting rapidly, with many countries and international organizations re-evaluating their approach to cannabis and other drugs. Yet, despite growing support for reform, significant challenges remain, including powerful opposition from entrenched interests and a lack of political will in some regions.

In the panel discussion in the embedded video below, experienced thought leaders explore the latest developments in global drug control policy and their implications for the cannabis industry. The panelists discuss the role of lobbying and advocacy in shaping policy reform, and how the cannabis industry can work with policymakers to advance a more rational and humane approach to drug policy. Panelists include:

- Stephen Murphy – CEO and Co-Founder, Prohibition Partners (Moderator)
- Aaron Smith – Co-Founder and Executive Director, National Cannabis Industry Association
- Luna Stower – Chief Impact Officer, Ispire
- Joe Rogoway – CEO and Managing Attorney, Rogoway Law Group

We look forward to seeing you in Berlin in 2024, as well as at our upcoming science and technology event in Slovenia this September!

Ukrainian Health Ministry Backs Medical Cannabis Bill

Written by Hazel Norman on July 11, 2023. Posted in Policy.

In recent days the Ukrainian Health Ministry expressed its support for backing a medical cannabis bill originally proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The recent endorsement from the nation’s Health Ministry provides a much-needed boost for Ukrainian medical cannabis policy modernization efforts, which have languished in recent years.

According to international reporting, Deputy Health Minister Ihor Kuzin announced support for President Zelenskyy’s plan to legalize cannabis-based medicines in some instances late last week.

“The health ministry supports this legislative initiative. Drugs in healthcare are used to treat chronic pain … A large number of countries have already made changes in their legislation. They have recognized it and use it for treatment purposes,” Kuzin stated according to UrduPoint Network (translated to English).

President Zelenskyy pledged to reform Ukraine’s medical cannabis policies during his 2019 presidential campaign, although a measure failed to gain enough votes in 2021. The Ukrainian cabinet later endorsed President Zelenskyy’s effort to permit cannabis cultivation for medical use and scientific research purposes in June 2022.

What the Ukrainian cabinet approved was a draft law, and in order for the measure to be officially adopted it will still require approval by Ukraine’s Parliament. Roughly two weeks ago, President Zelenskyy made an additional call to action.

“In particular, we must finally fairly legalize cannabis-based medicines for all those who need them, with appropriate scientific research and controlled Ukrainian production,” Zelenskyy said, as Ukrainska Pravda first reported.

A growing number of countries around the world are modernizing their cannabis policies, with medical cannabis reform being particularly widespread now. Compared to other nations with medical cannabis programs in operation, what is being proposed in Ukraine is fairly limited.