Cannabis News For Europe and the UK

Europe Cannabis News Roundup

European Marijuana Business News and Updates from CannabisNet on Vimeo.

One More Step For Medical Cannabis To Be Legalized In Greece

The Greek government already passed a drafted bill that will legalize medical cannabis past the parliamentary committee. The bill which will allow production and cultivation of cannabis is now much closer to reality than ever.

While this is good news for Greek MMJ patients, the rightwing New Democracy group are strongly opposing it. “Since in one year from now you will not be in that seat, you should know that we will not allow our country, Greece, to become a vast hash cultivation ground,” says New Democracy MP Kostas Vlasis.

Investors are already predicting high times ahead once cannabis is legal in Greece, and a Canadian company, Aphria, is expected to begin cultivation this year. The Athens-Macedonia News Agency reported that Aphria reps have been in discussion with the Deputy Economy and Development Minister, and investments to the tune of $1.2 billion may be pumped into the Greek economy.

Aphria is in the business of producing both industrial and medical cannabis, with presence in the US as well as Canada and Germany.

GW Pharma Study Finds That UK Cannabis Market Dominated By High Potency Strains

GW Pharmaceuticals conducted the first study of its kind in a decade, looking at the strength of cannabis seized by UK police. Together with King’s College London, the researchers found that 94% of the cannabis samples confiscated by police are strains that have a very high psychoactive content, and they warned that these strains may have “concerning implications for public health.”

“We are talking about a market where pretty much all the samples that the police come across are represented by this high-potency product,” said one of the study’s authors, Dr. Marta Di Forti of the King’s College London.

“This is actually worrying because if we do believe that there are types of cannabis that can be used more safely – because of the presence of cannabidiol – well, at least in this country, these are disappearing.”

According to the team, high-potency strains are defined as those whose average tetrahydrocannabidiol (THC) content is at 14% and almost no detectable trace of cannabidiol (CBD). THC is what gives cannabis users a high, and while it has its own valuable medicinal properties, and can even cure cancer, being too high can affect productivity and may worsen mental illness especially in individuals who are prone to anxiety. On the other hand, CBD content in cannabis can mitigate the effects of THC, and it has equally important health benefits.

The last study of this kind was conducted by the Home Office in 2008, which found that high-potency strains made up for 85% of police seizures. For this study, Di Forti and her team obtained data from police forces Kent, Derbyshire, Merseyside, London, and Sussex. They analyzed 250mg samples from each area, “a typically generous weight of cannabis used in a single joint”, said the paper. Even though high-potency strains still dominated the illegal market, there wasn’t much of an increase in potency based on the 2008 findings.

The strongest samples they found were trichome powders, which contained 46% THC and 0.2% CBD.

However, it’s not surprising if GW Pharma’s study is a self-serving one – after all, they are the only company who legally enjoys access to cannabis-based medicine. Plus, 3 of the study’s 5 authors work for GW Pharma and even own shares in the firm.

“It’s certainly worth putting the real risk into context, which this doesn’t,” says Jon Liebling, political director of the United Patients Alliance (UPA). “The risk of early onset psychosis due to long-term heavy use of cannabis is one in 26,000, while the risk of heavy use of street weed and starting from early age is one in 5,000.” He also added that the risk of serious hospitalization from eating peanuts was one in every 1,000.

Clark French of the UPA shares the same sentiments. “I find that high THC cannabis aka ‘skunk’ is the only medicine that allows me to function due to debilitating pain and spasms from MS. If a doctor can prescribe me this elsewhere in the world why are patients criminalized and demonized in the UK? Skunk is medicine too.”