Italy: Canadian cannabis in pharmacies

We're used to it by now. As soon as a medical cannabis market opens up, the Canada is never far away. Already present at Portugal, in Spain, in Germany, in Belgium or to Denmark, Canadian producers are now landing in Italy.

In Italy, the army had been designed for growing cannabis for the domestic market. L’accelerating the italian program of access to medical cannabis, with cannabis reimbursed in pharmacies, and the disappointing results of military cultivation have prompted the Italian government to open up 7 cannabis distribution licenses to private companies, still under the supervision of the Ministry of Defense.

Of these 7 licenses, two companies have announced that they have won the contract: Aurora Cannabis, through its German subsidiary Pedanios GmbH, and Nuuvera, through the acquisition of FL Group, an Italian company specializing in therapeutic cannabis.

«There are very few licenses because of a rigorous [selection] system in Italy, and Nuuvera is ready to comply with Italy's high standards and supply the growing Italian market,» said Lorna Abony, CEO of Nuuvera.

Andrea Ludwig Ferrari, head of sales and development in Italy for Aurora, explains that «Aurora's and Pedanios» EU GMP certifications were crucial in winning the tender in this part of the world. We are now the first private company in the world to be able to supply the Italian government directly, a testament to the quality of our operations and our company. This success positions us extremely well to continue our aggressive strategy of international expansion".

On paper, Italy has the best medical cannabis regulatory system in Europe. What was lacking until now was the raw material in quantity, which has just arrived from abroad.

From medical marijuana in flower form is now available in Germany, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Italy and soon in Luxembourg.