Europe Cannabis Business News and Updates for This Week
10 Dutch Municipalities Will Have Legal Recreational Cannabis For The First Time
In a government-sanctioned trial, 10 municipalities in the Netherlands will have access to legally sourced recreational cannabis for the first time in history, says the Dutch Ministry of Health.
While tourists around the world have long considered the Netherlands a haven for consuming pot under the radar, it was never actually legal. Instead, these coffee shops were merely being tolerated based on some conditions although supplying their own was never a reality until now. Companies in the Netherlands can now supply cannabis to coffee shops in these municipalities with regulated adult-use pot products, though it will only be for the duration of the experiment.
In the start, 26 municipalities applied to join in but 3 backed out and 10 were chosen. These are: Almere, Arnhem, Breda, Groningen, Heerlen, Hellevoetsluis, Masstricht, Nijmegen, Tilburg, and Zaanstad. There are 79 coffee shops within these locations, all of which are required by law to switch over to legal supply from their previously legal sources in the past.
The experiment will go on for four years after a year of preparation, and an independent committee is set to assess the results once it has been finished.
Germany’s ExpoPharm Features Cannabis For The First Time
The ExpoPharm in Germany is the biggest pharmacist expo in all of Europe, and it takes place once a year.
This year’s convention highlighted medical cannabis for the first time, with several large distributors and producers having a strong presence but so did smaller ones. With 19 licensed importers in Germany at the moment, this represents an important time in the progression of the country’s medical cannabis industry.
The expo also saw the establishment of the VCA, or the German Cannabis Pharmacists Association, a group that is on the forefront of medical cannabis to help simplify the complicated rules while ensuring that Germany’s MMJ pharmacists have a voice in the government.
MediPharm Labs, a Canadian cannabis firm, is also set to supply products for 20,000 pharmacies in Germany. The first European deal for MediPharm Labs marks an important milestone for the company, not just because it’s their first deal on the continent but also because it’s a lucrative move considering that Germany is home to the biggest medical cannabis market.
Epidiolex Approved For Distribution in 30 European Nations
The European Commission has just approved the use of Epidiolex in 30 countries in Europe.
Epidiolex is an epilepsy-fighting cannabis base drug produced by GW Pharmaceuticals. Last year, it launched in the United States, and its sales have spiked, as over 7,600 patients are now using it. The strawberry-flavored oral CBD medication stops seizures, and contains clobazam.
In Europe, there are around 50,000 young adults and children suffering from one of the two symptoms of epilepsy.
“The approval of cannabidiol oral solution spray is an important milestone for patients and families whose lives are significantly impacted by these rare, complex and life-long forms of epilepsy,” says Isabella Brambilla, Chair of the Dravet Syndrome European Federation in a press release. “We are very happy that patients will now have access to a much-needed, new treatment option, and one routed through a rigorous clinical trials programme and licensed by the EMA.”
“This approval is the culmination of many years of dedication and collaboration between GW, physicians and the epilepsy community. We believe patients and physicians deserve access to rigorously tested and evaluated cannabis-based medicines, manufactured to the highest standards and approved by medicines regulators, and we are delighted to be the first to offer this solution to the epilepsy community.
“LGS and Dravet syndrome are two of the most severe and difficult-to-treat forms of childhood-onset epilepsy, with few patients achieving adequate seizure control,” says the University of Goteborg and Sahlgren Academy professor Elinor Ben-Menachem. “The EMA approval of Epidyolex will bring hope to patients and families, with the potential to better control seizures and improve quality of life.”
Epidiolex has been shown to greatly reduce seizure frequency when given to patients in combination with other anti-epilepsy medications. However, this pharmaceutical drug has been shown to have adverse reactions in patients including decreased appetite, pyrexia, somnolence, vomiting, and fatigue.
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