The day has come: adult-use cannabis is now officially legal in Germany since yesterday. Around 1500 people celebrated the new freedom at the Brandenburg Gate from midnight onward. They were ringing in the partial start of Pillar 1 of the German legalization plan: adults over 18 are now allowed to possess up to 25 grams of cannabis for personal use, with the option to cultivate up to three plants at home. Smoking cannabis in many public spaces has now also become legal.
"Cannabis use was already around yesterday, but it's increasing," wrote Health Minister Karl Lauterbach on X yesterday. "Now it is coming out of the taboo zone. This is better for real addiction help, prevention for children and young people, and for combating the black market, for which there will soon be an alternative."
Patient access
For Canopy Medical, the classification of cannabis as a non-narcotic is expected to prompt more patients to proactively engage with their physicians regarding medical cannabis, immediately paving the way for increased access, education, and awareness. "The re-classification of cannabis as a non-narcotic is a game-changer for patients and physicians who will be empowered to better explore cannabis as a viable treatment option for an expanded range of condition," said Tara Rozalowsky, Chief Growth Officer & President, International, Canopy Growth. "We are thrilled to be able to continue serving the medical community by delivering high-quality cannabis products that meet patient needs, and we look forward to increasing our already leading presence in the German medical cannabis market."
"Germany's reform brings significant advancements in patient access to medical cannabis and a much-needed liberal approach to cannabis that we have advocated in favor of," agrees Dirk Heitepriem, Vice President, External Affairs, Aurora Europe, GmbH. "Aurora has been a steadfast supporter of patients. With cannabis de-scheduling, more patients gain access to treatment, reinforcing our dedication to patient outreach and comprehensive access to quality medical cannabis. Today's improved access underscores our commitment to see progressive change." The company sees the developments as a distinct opening to enhance its established footprint in Germany.
Tilray Medical's Chief Strategy Officer and Head of International, Denise Faltischek, also agrees. "The decision to open up the previously limited German medical cannabis market is an important step that will allow patients and physicians to explore effective treatment options tailored to individual needs. Facilitating access to the highest quality cannabis medicines through the new Medical Cannabis Act, produced in Germany, will help to improve patient care and provide patients with a wider range of treatment options."
Canadian strains
North American company Village Farms has a strong link to the German market. "We have received our EU GMP certification from the District Government of Dusseldorf in 2022. We began shipping our best-selling Canadian strains to Germany in the second quarter of 2023 and have been adding both local distributors and revenues since then. The German cannabis market is already core to Village Farms' international cannabis strategy and, along with our participation in the Netherlands' legal recreational cannabis program, central to our focus on legal cannabis opportunities in Europe," said Michael DeGiglio, President and Chief Executive Officer, Village Farms.
"Company growth expected"
"We have been working toward this moment for the last 4 years," said Richard Balla, CEO of IMC Germany. "We have the entire infrastructure in-house. We are EU-GMP certified to repack bulk. We have an EU-GDP-certified logistics center to store cannabis and are delivering IMC Cannabis to any pharmacy in Germany within 24 hours. Our team has extensive cannabis as well as pharmaceutical experience. We have all the necessary supply agreements in place to support accelerated growth. We believe that we are well positioned and are looking forward to growing significantly as the German market evolves as a result of the new legislation," concluded Richard.
Entering the market as soon as possible
High Tide has been closely following legislative developments in Germany for some time and, in January 2023, signed a non-binding letter of intent (the LOI) with the Berlin-based health and life science company Sanity Group. The LOI is designed to leverage synergies between both complementary companies and position each to take advantage of German legalization within their respective supply chain verticals.
"Today marks a historic moment as Germany becomes the second G7 and largest European country to legalize cannabis. Although this is just the first pillar of Germany's cannabis reform strategy, we applaud the government's commitment to move forward with the second pillar, which will enable commercial sales through cannabis specialty shops in select cities and regions pending EU approval. Later this month, I will join our Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer in Berlin as we look to expand relationships with an eye to facilitating our entry into this lucrative market as soon as possible," said Raj Grover, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of High Tide.
For more information:
Canopy Growth
www.canopygrowth.com
Aurora
www.auroramj.com
Tilray
www.tilray.com
Village Farms International Inc.
www.villagefarms.com
IM Cannabis
www.imcannabis.com
High Tide
hightideinc.com