Market & legal data analysis of the cannabis sector in Europe

20th December 2024: The alerts service will be closed from 20th December 2024, resuming on 7th January 2025. Wishing you a happy holiday period from everyone at CannIntelligence.
20th December 2024: Czech Republic: The proposed amendment to the Criminal Code to decriminalise growing cannabis for personal use has passed its first reading in the Chamber of Deputies, media reports. Due to some criticism in the parliament, changes to the current version could be expected for the next reading. In November 2024, the Drug Policy Department of the Office of the Government told CannIntelligence that the scope of the proposed amendment is limited to cultivating up to three plants and possessing up to 25 g of dry cannabis in public and 50 g at home, both for personal use.
19th December 2024: France: After the suspension of the medical cannabis programme following the no-confidence vote on the 2025 Social Security Bill, French patient associations have raised concerns about potential disruptions to treatments. The government approved a provisional budget for 2025, leaving the programme in a “transition” phase: while no new patients can join the trial, existing participants will continue receiving medication and reimbursements until a full-scale medical cannabis programme is established. However, a government decision is needed to guarantee access to treatments in 2025.
18th December 2024: Denmark: Stenocare – a supplier of prescription-based medical cannabis to patients in Denmark and internationally – has announced that it has received approval from the Danish Medicines Agency to start selling a new medical cannabis oil product in Denmark. The product, CBD100, has a high concentration of CBD active ingredients (100 mg/ml) and expands treatment options for patients requiring higher CBD dosages. It also positions Stenocare as the only supplier of such a product. The approval of a high-concentration CBD product demonstrates the growing demand for diverse medical cannabis formulations, paving the way for other companies to innovate and seek regulatory approvals.
17th December 2024: EU: Yesterday (16th December), the European Council formally adopted the proposal for a regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste (a revision of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive). The proposal aims to make packaging easier to reuse and recycle, to reduce unnecessary packaging and waste, and to promote the use of recycled content. The regulation is expected to affect packaging requirements for cannabis and hemp-derived products and will next be published in the EU’s official journal. The regulation will be applied 18 months after the date of entry into force.
13th December 2024: Germany: Following recent announcement by the Federal Office of Agriculture and Food (BMEL) about issuing regulations on cannabis research projects, the Berlin districts of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg and Neukölln announced that they plan to start selling recreational cannabis through several specialist stores by summer 2025 through a scientific model project. The participants need to reside in the districts and meet some necessary health requirements. The products will be sold in selected sale outlets and will last for five years.
13th December 2024: Switzerland: The city of Bern has extended the service contract for the recreational cannabis pilot project study from 2024 to mid-2027. Since April 2024, 700 participants have been able to purchase cannabis products in selected pharmacies as part of the study, which aims to examine the effects of a combined sales and counselling intervention on users’ behaviour and health. The scientific findings are intended to contribute to the discussion about a future cannabis policy.
12th December 2024: Germany: The Federal Office of Agriculture and Food (BMEL) has issued regulations on cannabis research projects, which will examine research applications of cannabis consumption and industrial hemp. The focus of these investigations is to better protect young people, reduce activity in the black market and organised crime, and increase consumer protection through lower-risk forms of consumption. Applications can be submitted on the authority’s website. The BMEL emphasised that this is not the “second pillar” of cannabis legalisation, which would introduce cannabis specialist stores, as that is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health.
12th December 2024: France: The country’s caretaker administration presented an emergency finance bill to the parliament to avoid a shutdown after the country’s government and the 2025 budget bill fell in a no-confidence vote last week. The provisional budget bill contains only a few articles that permit the state to roll over the same taxes levied in 2024 and continue to issue debt. However, it does not permit the introduction of any expenses, so the extension of the experiment on medical cannabis, expected to resume in 2025, would be delayed to 2026. The definitive budget will be voted on later in 2025.
11th December 2024: Netherlands: The Dutch government has announced that the next phase (experimental phase) of the Controlled Cannabis Supply Chain Experiment, which aims to investigate whether a regulated chain of production, distribution and sale of cannabis is possible, will start on 7th April 2025. In the experimental phase, coffee shops in the ten participating municipalities will only sell regulated products. This phase should last four years.
9th December 2024: Germany: Last week, in response to a statement from the Federal Council, the federal government issued a comment about the Industrial Hemp Liberalisation bill. The bill permits indoor cultivation of industrial hemp and eliminates the “intoxication clause”, which states that the use of industrial hemp for commercial purposes must exclude the abuse of intoxication. The federal government emphasised that the bill focuses solely on industrial hemp, leaving other matters, such as recreational cannabis, outside its scope. The Federal Council did not oppose the removal of the “intoxication clause”.
5th December 2024: Belgium: The Federal Public Service for Health, Food Chain Safety, and the Environment has updated its positive list of notified herbal products for smoking, which includes hemp flowers and other smokable cannabinoid products. Products not on the list may not be placed on the Belgian market without notification.

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