Market & legal data analysis of the cannabis sector in Europe

26th April 2024: EU: On Tuesday (23rd April), the European Parliament adopted a proposal for a regulation on ecodesign for sustainable products. With the proposal, we expect the emergence of a digital product passport for devices – a tool that can significantly enhance a product’s end-to-end traceability, complementing the information provided in labels – and other ecodesign requirements, such as requirements for the measure of energy consumption or performance of devices. Once the European Council formally approves it, the proposal can enter into force.
26th April 2024: Ukraine: The Ministry of Health has published for public discussion the draft order seeking to amend some of the ministry’s normative legal acts regarding the introduction of e-prescriptions for medicinal cannabis products, media reports. Comments and suggestions are accepted within 30 days in electronic form at: o.v.hritsenko@moz.gov.ua.
25th April 2024: EU: Yesterday (24th April), the European Parliament adopted the proposal to revise the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive. It aims to prevent the generation of packaging waste, reduce it in quantity, ensure that all packaging is recyclable, and increase the use of recycled plastics in packaging. Once the Council formally approves it, the proposal can enter into force.
25th April 2024: EU: Yesterday (24th April), the European Parliament adopted a proposal for a directive on corporate sustainability due diligence. The proposal aims to have certain big companies both within and outside of the EU conduct due diligence on the potential environmental impact of operations and supply chains as well as address environmental and social risks, enabling employees and industry members to raise any concerns. The proposal is expected to be approved by the Council and then to be published in the EU Official Journal.
24th April 2024: EU: Yesterday (23rd April), the European Parliament adopted the proposal for a directive on common rules promoting the repair of goods. The proposal seeks to introduce consumer incentives to repair products rather than replace them, promoting a circular economy. We believe this would force manufacturers or sellers to have repair facilities in order to repair devices, beyond the legal guarantee period, so as to allow their use for a longer period of time. Moreover, it should enable the replacement of defective vaping devices (including cannabis and hemp-derived vapes) with refurbished or second-hand ones, rather than a new one. The proposal should be approved next by the Council to be published in the EU Official Journal.
24th April 2024: Germany: The Federal Court of Justice (BGH) has determined what constitutes a “small amount” of cannabis, which will impact the penalties for violations of the Cannabis Act. Although the law stipulates that it is legal to possess between 25 g and 50 g of cannabis, the BGH has said that if the amount of cannabis contains at least 7.5 g of THC – a value previously established by the Narcotics Act – it will not be considered a “small amount” in the case of penalties. According to the judges, the possession of 25 g to 50 g of cannabis does not change the danger of the active ingredient THC.
23rd April 2024: Lithuania: The amendment initiated by the Ministry of Economy and Innovation to change the regulation of the cultivation and processing of fibre hemp will be submitted to the Seimas (parliament) on Thursday (25th April), media reports. The proposed changes seek to specify that the maximum THC content of exported fibre hemp products is determined according to the requirements of the export country. It is also proposed that the conditions for the cultivation of fibre hemp in open and closed soil be regulated and laboratory testing requirements for fibre hemp products be relaxed.
22nd April 2024: Turkey: In an official letter to the minister of agriculture and forestry, the president of the Chamber of Agriculture in Karaman province, Mehmet Bayram, urged the ministry to amend the Regulation on Hemp Farming and Control and legalise hemp cultivation in Karaman, press reports. Currently, hemp cultivation is allowed in only 19 out of 81 Turkish provinces.
22nd April 2024: Germany: According to a bill leaked to the press, the federal government wants to amend the Cannabis Act to prevent growers’ associations from operating grow sites on the same property, in order to avoid large-scale structures. The federal authorities would be given discretionary powers to ban grow sites and control growers’ associations. The bill would also prohibit growers’ associations from contracting with the same commercial provider for multiple services not related to cultivation.
18th April 2024: France: Senator Thomas Dossus from the Ecologist group introduced a bill that aims to allow two-year territorial experiments to legalise the recreational use of cannabis based on the German model. The proposal would permit adults to possess up to 25 g of cannabis in public spaces and 50 g in private spaces. Additionally, the bill would allow for home cultivation of up to three plants per person and establish cannabis cultivation associations.
18th April 2024: Slovenia: Yesterday, 17th April, the parliament approved the governmental proposal to launch a public referendum on whether the country should allow the cultivation and processing of cannabis for medical purposes and whether it should allow the cultivation and possession of cannabis for limited personal use, press reports. The date of the referendum was not agreed upon; the ruling Freedom Movement party wants it on the day of the European Parliament elections (9th June), but some other parties in the coalition disagree.

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