On August 4, the Portuguese government issued a regulatory document that authorizes the cultivation and exploitation of the domestic hemp market.
According to the document, translated from Portuguese, the law “establishes the conditions, authorizations and inspection that apply to the cultivation, production, manufacture, employment, trade, distribution, import, export, introduction, dispatch, transit, possession for any purpose and use of plants, substances and preparations.”
Portugal is currently one of the few countries which have allowed cannabis production from the medical perspective since Tilray established production facilities in the country in 2017. Now, however, it is clearly joining the list of European countries determined to try to regulate hemp separately.
This means, however, that the country has not taken a stand on the discussion before any European Commission decision that hemp is somehow a “narcotic” (pending in September). The Portuguese decree also does not appear to take a stand on the question of whether hemp is “novel” or not for human consumption.
Read more at internationalcbc.com