Germany plans to produce two tonnes of cannabis a year

As part of its ongoing program to support the Medical cannabis: Germany is looking into to produce its own medicinal cannabis. The authorities expect domestic production to reach one to two metric tons per year by 2021.

TheGermany has fully legalized medical use cannabis on January 19, 2017. But our German neighbors currently have no land set aside for cannabis cultivation. To make up for this lack of experience and cultivation, Germany imports all of the cannabis available in pharmacies. All of this is good business for Canadian brands Tweed and Peace Naturals, as well as the Dutch company Bedrocan BV. According to Der Spiegel, the roughly 1,000 Germans who have a license to obtain medical cannabis consume 365 kilograms of cannabis per year.

A Call for Proposals to Achieve Self-Sufficiency

The BfrAM, the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, issued a call for bids on April 8, 2017, for those interested in entering the medical cannabis industry. The prices of licenses for entrepreneurs have not yet been specified. The call for bids does not appear to be limited to German companies and is available at this link. After reviewing the applications, the agency will select 10 certified producers and plans to obtain one metric ton cannabis from the first legal and regulated harvests in 2019. In 2022, the BfrAm hopes that producers will be able to supply two metric tons of «Made in Germany» cannabis.

L’Cannabis Agency, a division of BfrAM, will oversee the cultivation, harvesting, quality control, storage, packaging, and delivery of cannabis to wholesalers and pharmacists. The agency will act solely in a supervisory capacity; entrepreneurs will have to find their own business partners.

Prescriptions for medical cannabis issued by a doctor will be covered by the German social security system. All doctors, except dentists and veterinarians, are authorized to prescribe medical cannabis for patients suffering from the following conditions:

• nausea, vomiting
• chemotherapy
• loss of appetite
• glaucoma
• asthma
• epilepsy
• arthritis
• eczema
• painful periods