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Lawmakers In Denmark Seek To Expand Cannabis Pilot Program

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

Pilot programs seem to be a popular approach to cannabis legalization in Europe. For instance, Switzerland has a cannabis legalization pilot program in which cannabis is legal for adult use and commerce purposes in a handful of cities. The Netherlands has a similar program.

The goal of a cannabis legalization pilot program is to ‘ease’ a country into legalization by rolling things out in a limited fashion rather than legalizing nationwide all at once, such as how Canada implemented legalization. Public policy and health experts can then study what is happening at a local level and, in theory, be better suited to recommend nationwide policies.

A cannabis pilot program like the one described exists in Copenhagen, and if a coalition of lawmakers has its way, cannabis legalization pilot programs will be implemented in other parts of Denmark as well. Per Mugglehead:

Danish officials across five political parties have proposed a plan for an adult-use cannabis pilot similar to a program underway in its capital city.

Earlier this month, the proposal was presented in Danish Parliament instructing the government to start legislative work that will result in a bill that legalizes cannabis for five years.

According to submitted documentation, that bill will look like one put forth in Copenhagen with sales at state-controlled outlets, and it’s legal for citizens to buy, possess, grow and consume cannabis for personal use.

Other provisions of the pilot program reportedly include a way for jurisdictions in Denmark to sign up for the program, all cannabis would be domestically produced, retail staff would be trained and licensed, the legal age would be set at 18 years old, and retail sales would be limited to residents.

I personally feel that five years is too long for the pilot program to run, and that cannabis should be legalized nationally well before that timeline is up. However, I suppose that it’s possible that so many jurisdictions will sign up for the pilot program that it could spread things up considerably. It’s definitely great news for the jurisdictions that implement the policy change.

The incremental approach is not optimal, however, it is better than maintaining nationwide prohibition. As I have always stated regarding cannabis activism – if you can’t legalize nationally, focus locally. Every local reform victory adds to the victory pile and further builds the momentum for a national reform victory.

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Cannabis Expungement Process In Bermuda Runs Into Record Keeping Issues

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

Bermuda is one of many nations around the world that is working to reform its harmful cannabis policies. As we previously reported, Bermuda’s efforts include adult-use legalization, although threats of interference by Britain are proving to be a major hindrance for that particular component.

A measure was passed in Bermuda in 2020 which sought to remove cannabis offenses from people’s records when the charge(s) involved possession of a personal amount of cannabis. Unfortunately, the process of automatically expunging records is hitting a major hurdle, as described by Royal Gazette:

A law designed to clear the criminal convictions of people caught with small amounts of cannabis has hit problems because old documents often failed to quantify the amounts of drugs involved.

The Attorney-General, Kathy Lynn Simmons, told MPs on Friday that work to expunge records of people caught in possession of small amounts of the drug since a legal change in 2020 had faced problems because of patchy police and court records.

She admitted: “To date, two expungement orders have been issued by the minister and we are seeking remedies as it relates to other applications.”

Unfortunately, as other jurisdictions around the globe work to expunge old cannabis convictions, this is likely to be a re-occurring problem. When many of the current laws on the books around the world were implemented, reefer madness was running rampant. As a result of that, all acts involving cannabis were treated harshly, regardless of the amount involved.

A cannabis conviction on a person’s record can have a negative impact on that person’s life well into the future, way past the point that they paid their fines and/or served their time. That is true even in jurisdictions that have legalized cannabis for adult use.

My father was convicted in Oregon in the 1980s of a cannabis-only offense involving 4 ounces of brick weed. Oregon legalized the possession of 8 ounces back in 2014, with the law taking effect in 2015. He still fails background checks in 2022 even though Oregon legalized cannabis years ago. It’s one of many unfortunate examples of how a cannabis offense on a person’s record can have a lasting, negative impact.

Germany Drug Commissioner Czar Burkhard Blienert Germany Drug Commissioner Czar Burkhard Blienert

German Commissioner Provides Insight Into Legalization Approach

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

International cannabis policy and industry observers have had their eyes set on Germany ever since the current governing coalition expressed a desire to legalize cannabis for adult use at the national level. Often referred to as ‘the traffic light coalition,’ the current governing coalition in Germany made the announcement shortly after the last election.

Germany is already home to the largest medical cannabis industry in Europe, and given that it has one of the largest economies on planet earth, adult-use legalization coupled with a regulated national sales system would be an extremely big deal. So far Uruguay, Canada, and Malta have legalized cannabis for adult use, however, none of those countries have the same legalization model.

Malta still prohibits adult-use sales, although it will eventually allow private clubs to exist, and Uruguay has historically limited sales to residents via pharmacies and clubs. Canada is the only country that has legalized cannabis sales to all adults via a robust buffet of options – storefronts, delivery, ordering online, etc.

Germany is planning on allowing adult-use sales nationwide via a range of options, and once that happens it will likely prove to be bigger for global cannabis efforts than the three current legal nations combined. Canada, Uruguay, and Malta have a combined population of roughly 42 million people. Compare that to Germany which has a population that is nearly double that figure.

Burkhard Blienert, who we were proud to have as a speaker at our last event in Berlin, has served as Germany’s ‘drug czar’ since January. Blienert recently participated in an interview with Stern in which he discussed, among other things, the effort to legalize cannabis in Germany. To read the full interview click this link. Below are some interesting excerpts (translated to English):

Stern: They started with the promise of a “progressive drug policy”. What does that mean for you? 

Blienert: This is clearly the realization that in the field of cannabis, criminal law is not a tool that helps. That’s not how we reach consumers. That’s why we need a different social perspective on how we deal with it.

Stern: Education without criminal law – aren’t you playing down drug use?

Blienert: I believe that society’s job is to protect people. When it comes to cannabis, we are very specific in the coalition agreement. The point is not to allow people to obtain products that are illegal and harmful to their health on the black market, but to empower people and create regulated access to safe products for them. 

Stern: What’s the latest on cannabis legalization?

Blienert: A lot of people are looking forward to that. 

Stern: That’s exactly why I’m asking. 

Blienert: I’ll have to disappoint everyone at the moment. We are in the early stages where we are debating and discussing the structures for a process. We need a law that lasts. The way there is not a short-distance run. This is a complex and complicated project involving many ministries. And I would like us to involve the public, associations and science. The goal is legalization in this legislative period. We’ll do it.

Stern: Why is this taking so long? Actually, the coalition parties were in agreement. 

Blienert: It’s really not a short story, it’s a novel that we’re writing right now and it needs good preparation, research, a good structure, so that afterwards the ending will be good. 

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Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Criticizes Legalization In Other Countries

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

Russia’s deputy foreign minister came out swinging this week against cannabis legalization in the Western Hemisphere:

This is not the first time that Russia’s government has been critical of cannabis legalization in other countries, specifically when it comes to Canada. When Canada announced plans to legalize cannabis for adult use nationally, Russia was quick to condemn the move.

In the summer of 2018 Moscow issued a stern warning to Canada regarding looming cannabis legalization at the time, stating that Canada’s new policy meant it had “deliberately decided to breach international law.” Canada legalized cannabis in October 2018.

“We expect Canada’s partners in the G7 to respond to its ‘high-handedness’ because this alliance has repeatedly declared its adherence to the domination of international law in relations between states,” Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement at the time.

The comments out of Russia come in the midst of not only the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine but also as WNBA star Brittney Griner remains in custody in Russia while facing serious cannabis-related charges.

Griner, a United States citizen and professional women’s basketball star, was arrested at an airport in Russia after allegedly being found in possession of cannabis vape pen cartridges. Griner is looking at a potential decade in prison in Russia as a result, which serves as a grim reminder of how harmful Russia’s cannabis policies are.

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European Cannabis Spring Update

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Business, Politics.

Spring is here! What is going down on the European Cannabis front?

Spring is here, and there are some interesting developments on the reform discussion front. Covid is receding but there is a big complication in the room right now. Namely, the Russia-Ukraine war.

Where and how much will cannabis reform progress this year?

Germany

All eyes are on Deutschland now. The Traffic Light Coalition promised reform, but the reality is that they are not putting this on the top of their agenda. First it was Covid. Now it is the evolving crisis in the East, along with all the complications which came with it – including sources of energy as well as overall inflation and an influx of refugees. Regardless, it is also clear that the German industry will not go away – and further that those who are in the medical space already are eager to expand into a new vertical.

Insiders say that rec reform is not likely to move legislatively, let alone any other way this year. In the meantime, lawsuits are afoot to define the legal status of imported hemp flower in the German market.

Beyond this, there is also clearly foreign money again looking to Germany to figure out where, when, and how to land. Go in too early and there is every possibility of being hung up on more legislative wait and see. So far, there has been no “too late.”

Switzerland

All eyes are on der Schweiz this spring. The country, while outside of the EU, is the first European country to move forward on a recreational trial that feels like one (in other words, not just seeds). Vendors are now getting ready for product launch via their Cantons. Stay tuned for further developments. From a pure reform front, this is the market with mo this year.

Malta and Luxembourg

The first technically “rec” markets in the EU (beyond Holland) are likely to better define rules this year. A seed market is a good start, but most people are not likely to want to grow their own.

France

The last major economy in the EU has finally bowed to the inevitable and even legalized the cultivation of medical cannabis this spring. However, there are many fights ahead, even as courts helped open the way for the sale of CBD flower.

European Victories

All is not doom and gloom, let alone wait and see. There have been some concrete victories this spring – namely the approval of novel food applications and an agreement on the percentage of THC allowed in hemp and hemp seeds on a regional basis. It may be slow, but at least it is moving.

Bottom line? There are many excuses being used by legislators to keep reform from the front burner – all of which ring hollow when the economic boon legalization will bring is factored into the equation. Europe needs this industry, no matter how many other global or even regional crises arise in the meantime.

Be sure to book your tickets to the Berlin International Cannabis Business Conference this summer!

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National Cannabis Awareness Campaign Launched In UK

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Business, Politics.

BRITISH CANNABIS launches new awareness campaign for CBD products

It is not that the British don’t want cannabis reform. They do. It is just their government that does not want to move any faster for (fill in the blank) reason. This is not new. Majorities of populations are all moving into the cannabis reform column as political reform follows, sluggishly, behind.

BRITISH CANNABIS, however, an independently owned producer, manufacturer, and distributor of legal cannabis-derived products, has decided to educate the public about CBD (and of course their own products in the process). The campaign is part of a $650,000 marketing campaign to reach health-conscious British consumers over the age of 45.

It will be broadcast on the SKY and Channel 5 networks, marking the first time SKY has allowed cannabis advertising on its channel since 2019.

The company also began selling its products on eBay this month.

Changing Times

The British cannabis question generally, is in a strange place – namely still very much a grey area. London Mayor Sadiq Khan is moving forward with a pilot plan of decriminalization for London. Other areas may follow suit.

In the meantime, illegitimate operations are being raided by the police, including in abandoned buildings and (even more embarrassingly) in city centres.

Larger entities are beginning to establish themselves (like BRITISH CANNABIS) although it is still a hazardous business.

The ability to advertise is also a clear breakthrough in the entire discussion. This is still a contentious discussion just about everywhere in the American and European media markets.

Could it be that the British are finally evolving with the times?

A Long and Torturous Road

Patients are still finding it very difficult to access cannabis. Project TWENTY21, which was supposed to register 20,000 patients has, so far, only managed to enlist 2,000. Beyond that, it is still a game where only those with money can access cannabis anywhere near “legally” and that only after a major bureaucratic struggle.

Most consumers are still left out of the legal market.

Perhaps this is why the latest campaign is geared towards older consumers. They are the ones with the most money, although thanks to both Brexit and Covid, combined with rising oil prices, inflation shock is rife in the UK.

However, beyond such encouraging steps, there has been little news about the forward progression of reform in the UK so far this year.

For the latest updates on evolving cannabis business news and regulation, be sure to attend the International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin and Zurich this summer!

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Argentina’s Supreme Court May Decriminalize Cannabis Cultivation

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

In 2017 lawmakers in Argentina passed a law that legalized cannabis for medical use. For the next few years, the new law essentially proved to be nothing more than symbolic as industry rules and regulations went nowhere. That had a direct, negative impact on patients who had no way of legally obtaining medicine.

In late 2020 Argentina’s President Alberto Fernández signed a decree calling for the legalization of home cultivation along with allowing pharmacies to sell medical cannabis products. Part of the decree also called on insurance companies to cover the costs of medical cannabis.

The catch to the 2020 decree, which is essentially the same catch that has hindered Argentina’s medical cannabis program since 2017, is that it relied on the creation of rules and regulations pertaining to licenses. Before someone can cultivate medical cannabis in Argentina they must first obtain a license from the government, and there is no licensing process in place.

Medical cannabis advocates are understandably frustrated with the situation, and some of those advocates are pursuing legal remedies. Argentina’s Supreme Court will hear arguments next month regarding the current status of home cultivation. Per excerpts from Mugglehead:

The court public hearings on April 27 and 28 will discuss whether it’s unconstitutional to criminalize cannabis cultivation for medical purposes. It will cover whether family members or organizations should be allowed to cultivate medical cannabis for patients, including children.

MAMAS Cannabis-Santa Fe (MACAME) — an organization of mothers who are advocating the therapeutic use of cannabis in Argentina — has been summoned to the hearing. Other professionals and organizations can sign up to speak as well if they have proven knowledge about medical cannabis. MACAME has put together a template to help people through the process if they want to speak.

The same group making the requests in this case made a similar request back in 2018 and it was rejected, however, a lot has changed since that time at the global level. Since 2018 Mexico, South Africa, and Italy have all had their Supreme Courts rule that cannabis prohibition as it applied to personal use (including cultivation) was unconstitutional.

The argument that is being made in Argentina also somewhat echoes what happened in the United States decades ago. When cannabis prohibition was first instituted in the United States it was via a ‘stamp tax’ which essentially meant that you could only have cannabis if you had a federal license, knowing that no such licenses would ever be created.

That public policy was eventually shot down by the Court in the United States because it’s a catch-22 that people could never get around. Something similar is occurring in Argentina, although only time will tell which way the Court rules on the specific arguments being made in this particular case.

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Spanish Medical Cannabis Subcommittee Holds First Hearing

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Politics.

Spain is a truly amazing place, especially when it comes to being a cannabis consumer. The European nation is absolutely beautiful, and cannabis is very easy to acquire if you know where to look.

Barcelona, where we recently held our first conference of the year, is a particularly fantastic place to be a cannabis consumer. Barcelona is home to more private cannabis clubs than anywhere else in Spain.

Unfortunately, Spain’s cannabis laws are in need of a lot of improvement. Cannabis may be decriminalized in Spain, and cannabis may be easy to acquire, however, many suffering patients still need better access to medical cannabis and selective enforcement needs to be mitigated via setting up a legal, equitable industry framework.

A key subcommittee tasked with exploring medical cannabis reform and regulations finally met in Spain, which will hopefully help yield future movement. Per ConSalud.es (translated to English):

The subcommission for the purpose of carrying out experiments in the regulation of cannabis for medicinal use , created in the Congress of Deputies to study a possible regulation in Spain, has hosted the first session of appearances on Tuesday. As approved by this commission a few weeks ago, there will be 26 experts who will tell their experience on this matter until the end of June.

Among the most outstanding is that of Manuel Ibarra Lorente , head of the Drug Inspection and Control Department of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) , who has provided the technical vision of the regulatory body in Spain, of its possible regulation. of the authorized clinical trials with cannabinoids and about the doubts that currently exist.

During the subcommittee meeting, Ibarra expressed doubt regarding the notion that “cannabis has multiple therapeutic benefits in many other indications: relief of chronic pain, prevention of nausea and vomiting, as an appetite stimulant, reducing depression, anxiety or disorders of the dream.”

Ibarra is pushing for a very controlled and regulated medical cannabis industry in Spain, and even then, only after a considerable amount of further research is conducted. Hopefully fellow committee members are listening to other sources, and not solely relying on Ibarra’s opinion.

It would be a much faster and more efficient approach if Spain relied on the enormous body of research that already exists to form its policies, as well as model the successful policies in countries that have already launched national, regulated medical cannabis industries, including Canada which has also legalized adult-use cannabis sales as well.

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Australia And New Zealand Renew Commitment To Medical Cannabis

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Politics.

The APAC region of the world continues to develop its medical cannabis industry – but no word yet about further reform

Australia and New Zealand may well be “down under” but they are continuing to develop their medical cannabis sectors.

In Australia, the British study and trial Project Twenty21 has announced that they are expanding to the country. Project Twenty21 was launched in 2019 in the UK. The goal was to establish a national body of evidence about the efficacy of cannabis and provide patients with cannabinoid medicines at a discount. The additional cost was underwritten by licensed producers who agreed to participate. Patients had to agree that their medical data could be collected by the organization managing the effort – Drug Science.

The plan originally was to enrol 20,000 patients by the end of 2021, but so far, only 2,000 patients have joined the study. The project has been extended in the UK until the end of this year. In the meantime, the project will unroll in Australia. Releaf Clinics will be the local partner organization. Study participants will have to complete annual questionnaires and attend the participating clinics. Current users of cannabis will be excluded from the trial, which is expected to enrol about 1,000 patients.

Just a skip and a hop across the Tasman Sea, New Zealand has also just announced that it is committed to its existing cannabis scheme. The health minister Andrew Little has reiterated that the government remains dedicated to its new Medicinal Cannabis Scheme, addressing critics who have said the program is too stringent. Little said that the country will source its cannabis via firms who comply with GMP standards even though critics have said this standard creates a cost barrier for patients that is often prohibitive.

How Will This Development Impact the Global Industry?

Both Australia and New Zealand are continuing to establish their presence on the international cannabis scene even while developing their own national markets. Australia has begun importing cannabis from other countries even as some of its producers are also finding their way to Europe. New Zealand has its sights set clearly on establishing a European market for its cannabis exports. Firms are already scouring the landscape for partners.

However, the continued expansion of both two country’s medical markets and additional demand (and supply) of medicinal cannabis will do several things. It will create two more viable medical markets and will contribute to the now continued downward pressure on the price.

Many cannabis patients are not able to participate in legal programs simply because the cost of the drug is still too expensive.

Be sure to attend the International Cannabis Business Conference events in Europe in 2022, including Barcelona, Berlin, and Zurich!