Euro Cannabis News Alerts
European Parliament Supports WHO In Call To Legalize MMJ
A few weeks ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) came out with a recommendation to reschedule both cannabis and cannabis resin, as both are currently listed under the Schedule IV category of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.
Now, the European Union Parliament joins the WHO in recommending cannabis to be legalized once and for all. They have just passed a resolution which would help member states to deschedule cannabis as well as other relevant substances. Additionally, the resolution wants to prioritize clinical and scientific studies of the plant, and has assigned the Commission on Use of Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes plus members states of the EU to “address the regulatory, financial, and cultural barriers,” that have been hampering medical cannabis programs from being developed in European countries.
The European parliament also advocated the importance of equal access for cannabis medicine, while highlighting the need to research the correct way to medicate with the plant. The resolution states, “It is essential that they be provided with comprehensive information about the full spectrum profiles of the plant strains used in the medication provided.”
United Kingdom Receives First Shipment Of Medical Cannabis
The United Kingdom has been making strides, albeit slow, in the development of their medical cannabis program. Since legalizing prescription cannabis last year, the UK has finally just received their first shipment which came from the Netherlands.
The Office of Medical Cannabis was responsible for exporting the shipment, and it will be going straight to the pharmacies so that UK patients with a prescription can already obtain them, says a statement from Grow Biotech, a British startup.
“To date, all imports have been for a single, predefined patient. This is the first time that a product has been imported to be sold for future demand,” commented Stephen Murphy, the managing director for Prohibition Partners, a UK-based analytics firm.
Canadian cannabis giant Aurora Cannabis, Inc., has also just announced that they have made their first commercial export of cannabis oil to the UK – a milestone moment for the company. “Being one of the first Canadian companies to commercially supply cannabis-based medicines into the UK under the new legal framework reflects Aurora’s ability to do business in international markets that have complex and evolving regulatory systems,” said Neil Belot, Aurora’s Chief Global Business Development Officer.
“We are thrilled to have successfully navigated the complexities of the UK’s new regulatory framework to be able to supply high quality, pharmaceutical grade cannabis-based medicines into the UK from one of our EU-GMP certified facilities in Canada,” sais Senior Vice President of Product Development and Regulatory Affairs Dr. Shane Morris.
New York-Based Holding Company Injects $8 Million Investment Into Europe
Investments for cannabis keep pouring into the EU from US and Canada.
Northern Swan Holdings, Inc. is among the latest. The NY-based holdings firm which focuses on medical marijuana just invested $8 million into a German marijuana wholesale and distribution company called Cansativa GmbH to help speed up the development of the company into the European market.
Cansativa will use the funds as capital for growing their facilities, with the goal of eventually becoming a “EU GxP Innovation Hub”, acting as a fulfillment center for medical cannabis in Germany. Germany is the biggest country in the EU, home to over 80 million residents which may bring in $5 billion annually in revenues.
“Unlike the majority of our competitors, we operate independently of third-party contractors. Ever since we started the company, we’ve been moving our products through our own warehouse on a daily basis, and we plan to implement each additional process on our own as well,” says Cansativa co-founder Jakob Sons, also a joint Managing Director alongside Benedikt Sons.
“We’re really confident that Cansativa is the ideal partner with whom to collaborate in order to develop the European market for medicinal cannabis,” said Northern Swan Holdings CEO Kyle Detwiler.
“Germany offers one of the largest medical cannabis consumer markets in the EU, with the patient population growing at a steady rate – there are already nearly 50,000 registered patients. Domestic supply and production are severely restricted, which creates substantial need for importing flower and oil products. Of all the markets in the EU, Germany is arguably the most attractive from a distribution standpoint,” Detwiler adds.
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