Portuguese cannabis exports soar by 566 %

Exports of cannabis from Portugal increased by 5,661 TP3T in 2021, according to a report last week by the Jornal de Notícias.

According to information from Infarmed, Portugal’s national medical authority, «the quantity of dried flowers with a moisture content of 10% or less exported in 2021 reached 30 metric tons,» exceeding the 4.5 metric tons exported in 2020—an increase of nearly 600%. The markets to which the flowers were exported are not specified.

The Portuguese newspaper indicated that «export value is expected to be exceeded this year,» as Portugal’s cannabis exports between January and February have already reached 10 metric tons.

Currently, virtually all of the cannabis produced by the 18 companies authorized to grow it in Portugal is exported, with only one cannabis derivative available for sale in pharmacies, in addition to Sativex.

Since the Legalization of medical cannabis in Portugal in 2018, Tilray is the only company that has obtained authorization to sell flower with a THC content of 18 % for the Portuguese market.

Furthermore, there are currently only two applications for marketing authorization (MA) for cannabis-based substances: one for dried flowers intended for inhalation via a spray, and the other for an oral solution.

Infarmed told Cannareporter that both requests are awaiting responses from the requesting entities, without specifying whether they involve CBD, THC, or both.

To date, Infarmed has authorized 18 companies to grow medical cannabis, but is awaiting inspection requests for the facilities of 80 others, which have in the meantime already obtained a preliminary license to build their cultivation units.