LATEST ALERTS
20th December 2024
Cannabis – medical
News analysisMore News analysis
Global business and regulatory news covering the cannabis industry
Daily regulatory updates of legal changes in the cannabis sector, including monthly compilations
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
- US - Nebraska: Governor Jim Pillen has signed proclamations that certified the enactment of measure 437 and measure 438. In November, more than 70% of voters across the state approved legalising and regulating medical cannabis. Both measures are now law in the state of Nebraska.
13th December 2024
- Brazil: The Attorney General’s Office (AGU) has filed an appeal with the Superior Court of Justice with a request to extend the deadline of six months for the regulation of the import of seeds, cultivation, industrialisation and commercialisation of cannabis plants of up to 0.3% THC for medical, pharmaceutical or industrial purposes. In November 2024, the Superior Court of Justice gave the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) and the federal government six months to issue regulations on the matter. According to the AGU, the regulations are a significant regulatory challenge that requires coordination and political-administrative alignment between several government agencies, which require a longer period to ensure a cohesive, comprehensive and technical approach.
12th December 2024
- Japan: The law criminalising recreational cannabis use and legalising medicinal cannabis products enters into force today. Medicines will require approval before becoming available to patients. Following a public consultation launched in May, the government has issued guidance on THC limits for CBD products.
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
- US - Florida: The Florida Department of Health’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use has published a list of 22 companies that received “letters of intent to approve” their application. In April 2023, 74 applicants initially applied for Medical Marijuana Treatment Center permits. Florida is expanding its medical marijuana market, weeks after the recent failure of Amendment 3 – which aimed to legalise recreational cannabis but fell short of the required 60% approval.
5th December 2024
- France: The extension of the French experiment on medical cannabis, which had been expected to resume in 2025, will likely be delayed to 2026 following the no-confidence vote in the government. This development will lead to the resignation of prime minister Michel Barnier and could result in president Emmanuel Macron appointing a new head of government. The failure to approve next year’s budget has created an unprecedented situation, forcing the government to potentially operate under a provisional budget.
4th December 2024
- South Africa: Legislation for the legal trade of cannabis is likely to be tabled in Parliament early next year as a part of initiatives to regulate the industry, according to the press. The government’s plan has been moved to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Competition due a strategy review at the Cabinet level. Among the plans to regulate the industry are revised levels of THC allowed in hemp and a medical cannabis revision. It is not clear whether recreational cannabis will be part of the planned changes.
2nd December 2024
- Switzerland: The Basel cantonal health department has extended the pilot project for the sale of recreational cannabis in pharmacies until January 2027, initially programmed to finish in July 2025. In addition to flowers and hashish, the project will be extended to include lower-risk products: two e-liquids and two tinctures. The project will also offer drug testing of cannabis purchased on the illicit market.
2nd December 2024
- Czech Republic: The Ministry of Health has proposed a new decree aiming to simplify the prescription process for medical cannabis, allowing it to be prescribed by general practitioners, media reports. The decree has successfully passed the comment process and is set to take effect on 1st April 2025. Currently, only specialists are allowed to prescribe medical cannabis.
Market reports
Full-length in-depth reports with detailed data and analysis for individual markets around the world
More Market reports
Regulatory reports
Comprehensive legal reports outlining how the sector is regulated, interpretation of the laws and relevant bodies
More Regulatory reports
Market dataMore Market data
Up-to-date information and insights on brands, pricing and retail across selected markets
Regulatory databasesMore Regulatory databases
Regularly updated global regulations currently in place, compiled into easy-to-read maps and tables
