The European cannabis industry is preparing to descend on Berlin and London for European Cannabis Week where the latest insights from the world’s leading voices will take centre stage across four separate events taking place from June 19-25.
For further real-time updates on market dynamics, market sizing and evolving regulations, pre-orders for the soon-to-be-launched digital report from Prohibition Partners are now available here.
German medical cannabis imports have continued their meteoric rise in the wake of the passage of its Cannabis Act (CanG), with the country now on track to ‘import 150 tonnes of cannabis’ this year.
The dizzying volumes of imported cannabis needed to sustain its booming medical cannabis industry, however, is increasingly drawing the attention of Germany’s newly instated right-leaning cabinet.
With the head of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (now responsible for the country’s long-awaited cannabis pilot trials), the Federal Government’s Drug Commissioner and the Federal Minister of Health all hailing from the cannabis-sceptical CDU/CSU, questions are being raised regarding the longevity of this boom.
Meanwhile, some positive progress has been made in regards to Germany’s hemp industry, as the first wholesaler in Germany received an official tax stamp for THC-free CBD flowers, providing some much-needed legal clarity in what has been described as a ‘step in the right direction’.
Despite dropping considerably in Q4 2024, Canadian cannabis imports jumped by around 2 tonnes in Q1 2025, marking an increase of 15.07% and seeing Canada remain comfortably the largest exporter to Germany.
The next two largest exporters, Portugal and Denmark, also saw significant changes in volume during the first quarter of the year, though in conflicting directions.
Portugal saw exports increase by 2.6 tonnes (27.92%) sequentially, but Denmark’s export volumes fell by around 17.01%, representing over half a tonne less than the previous period.
The most notable increases came from Malta, Colombia and Austria. Although relatively small in terms of volume (632 kg), Malta’s export volumes skyrocketed by 544.9%.
Columbian exports also nearly doubled in Q1, significantly outpacing volumes from Uruguay, which fell by 82%, while Austria’s exports also rose by 152%.
Other double-digit increases in export volumes over the period were seen in Spain (38.47%), North Macedonia (21.65%), the Czech Republic (29.57%) and Australia (31.37%), laying bare just how widespread the scramble to break into Germany’s medical market has become in recent months.
Since CanG was implemented last April, German politicians on the right have been vocal in their opposition to the liberalisation of cannabis.
However, with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and their Bavarian counterparts, the Christian Social Union (CSU) now representing the largest faction in the Bundestag, their ability to act on such threats is now much more real.
A flurry of cabinet ministers in influential positions when it comes to cannabis policy have been sworn in over recent weeks, including the new Federal Minister of Health, Nina Warken, the new Federal Government’s Drug Commissioner, Hendrik Streeck, and the new head of BMEL, Alois Rainer.
Minister Warken quickly seized the initiative this week, telling Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) that she wants to ‘restrict the easily accessible online prescriptions’.
One of the main growth drivers of Germany’s medical cannabis boom has been the emergence of online clinics, which have capitalised on cannabis’s removal from the list of narcotic substances and the subsequent streamlining of the prescription process.
While this has long been a point of contention for many cannabis-averse ministers, Warken’s interview has significantly ramped up the rhetoric, citing new figures from the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices which show consumption of medical cannabis ‘has tripled from 31 to 100 tonnes since April 2024 compared to the same period last year.’
“It is very simple to get a prescription online…You just tick what sort of discomfort you allegedly have on a checklist and you get an online prescription,” she told the publication, adding that “abuse is clearly behind these figures.”
Bloomwell Group CEO and Co-Founder, Niklas Kouparanis, in contrast, said that these import figures ‘send a clear message’.
Acknowledging that ‘low threshold digital access’ has been a key growth driver, he argued that this has ‘enabled several hundred thousand patients, who previously obtained medical cannabis illegally (which involved considerable risks), to access legal medical cannabis prescribed by physicians and dispensed in licensed pharmacies.’
“The German model thus serves as a model for the entire EU in how to ensure safe, reliable, and digitally-powered access to medical cannabis, and, above all, how to successfully transform an illegal patient care system into a legal one on a large scale. There is no turning back.”
When the CDU/CSU and the SPD, the original driving force behind CanG, agreed to form a coalition, they agreed to evaluate the legalisation of cannabis after the summer. It is understood that Warken intends to wait for the results of this evaluation before acting.
Elsewhere, medical professional and CDU member of the Bundestag Streeck, has become the new Federal Government’s Drug Commissioner, replacing SPD politician Burkhard Blienert, who was appointed to the post by former Health Minister and CanG architect Karl Lauterbach (SPD).
As reported by RND, before entering politics, he expressed some more nuanced views on cannabis legalisation in a 2022 interview.
“Studies have shown that cannabis can impair brain development, especially in adolescents. This can result in an increased susceptibility to mental disorders,” he said.
“However, the right to self-determination and proportionality would speak in favour of legalisation.”
According to Hanfverband, views published on his own website show that Streeck was opposed to the passage of CanG under the traffic-light coalition, arguing that it would harm German society. It is noted that these statements now appear to have been removed from his website.
For years, THC-free or low-THC hemp flowers in Germany have occupied a regulatory grey zone. Despite containing no psychoactive substances, they are often treated as illegal ‘cannabis’ under the CanG Act because of the long-maligned ‘intoxication clause.’
This clause allowed authorities to classify hemp flowers as narcotics based on their theoretical potential for misuse, even if the actual THC content was negligible or zero.
Earlier this month, customs authorities began issuing official tobacco tax stamps for hemp flowers containing no detectable levels of THC. The move marks a regulatory step forward, with such products now recognised as taxable industrial goods rather than illegal cannabis under narcotics law.
The decision, confirmed by the Cannabis Industry Association (BvCW), follows a long-standing legal dispute and signals a change in official interpretation of the German Cannabis Act.
“We are very pleased that customs has now apparently changed its legal opinion,” said Philipp Ferrer, Managing Director of CBD company Weedo, which brought a successful case before the Düsseldorf Finance Court in 2024. The judgment required tax stamps to be issued for THC-free hemp, although the ruling is currently under appeal.
The first company to benefit from the new interpretation is Sanaleo, which received Germany’s inaugural tax stamp for its THC-free CBD flowers earlier this month. The product will now be subject to the standard 19% VAT and an additional tobacco tax, aligning it with other smokable goods.
Despite the milestone, uncertainty remains. The General Customs Directorate has indicated it may continue to apply the previous, more restrictive legal view.
The BvCW is now calling for broader reform, including the removal of the intoxication clause and recognition of all hemp flowers with up to 0.3% THC, the EU’s threshold for industrial hemp.
“The refusal to issue tax stamps for compliant products is increasingly untenable,” said Dr Ferdinand Weis, a lawyer and board member of the association.
The post Germany’s Green Rush: Medical Cannabis Imports Continue Record Growth, As Political Pushback Grows in Tandem appeared first on Business of Cannabis.
Continue reading...
For further real-time updates on market dynamics, market sizing and evolving regulations, pre-orders for the soon-to-be-launched digital report from Prohibition Partners are now available here.
German medical cannabis imports have continued their meteoric rise in the wake of the passage of its Cannabis Act (CanG), with the country now on track to ‘import 150 tonnes of cannabis’ this year.
The dizzying volumes of imported cannabis needed to sustain its booming medical cannabis industry, however, is increasingly drawing the attention of Germany’s newly instated right-leaning cabinet.
With the head of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (now responsible for the country’s long-awaited cannabis pilot trials), the Federal Government’s Drug Commissioner and the Federal Minister of Health all hailing from the cannabis-sceptical CDU/CSU, questions are being raised regarding the longevity of this boom.
Meanwhile, some positive progress has been made in regards to Germany’s hemp industry, as the first wholesaler in Germany received an official tax stamp for THC-free CBD flowers, providing some much-needed legal clarity in what has been described as a ‘step in the right direction’.
The scramble for Germany’s medical market
Despite dropping considerably in Q4 2024, Canadian cannabis imports jumped by around 2 tonnes in Q1 2025, marking an increase of 15.07% and seeing Canada remain comfortably the largest exporter to Germany.
The next two largest exporters, Portugal and Denmark, also saw significant changes in volume during the first quarter of the year, though in conflicting directions.
Portugal saw exports increase by 2.6 tonnes (27.92%) sequentially, but Denmark’s export volumes fell by around 17.01%, representing over half a tonne less than the previous period.
The most notable increases came from Malta, Colombia and Austria. Although relatively small in terms of volume (632 kg), Malta’s export volumes skyrocketed by 544.9%.
Columbian exports also nearly doubled in Q1, significantly outpacing volumes from Uruguay, which fell by 82%, while Austria’s exports also rose by 152%.
Other double-digit increases in export volumes over the period were seen in Spain (38.47%), North Macedonia (21.65%), the Czech Republic (29.57%) and Australia (31.37%), laying bare just how widespread the scramble to break into Germany’s medical market has become in recent months.
Political pushback
Since CanG was implemented last April, German politicians on the right have been vocal in their opposition to the liberalisation of cannabis.
However, with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and their Bavarian counterparts, the Christian Social Union (CSU) now representing the largest faction in the Bundestag, their ability to act on such threats is now much more real.
A flurry of cabinet ministers in influential positions when it comes to cannabis policy have been sworn in over recent weeks, including the new Federal Minister of Health, Nina Warken, the new Federal Government’s Drug Commissioner, Hendrik Streeck, and the new head of BMEL, Alois Rainer.
Minister Warken quickly seized the initiative this week, telling Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) that she wants to ‘restrict the easily accessible online prescriptions’.
One of the main growth drivers of Germany’s medical cannabis boom has been the emergence of online clinics, which have capitalised on cannabis’s removal from the list of narcotic substances and the subsequent streamlining of the prescription process.
While this has long been a point of contention for many cannabis-averse ministers, Warken’s interview has significantly ramped up the rhetoric, citing new figures from the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices which show consumption of medical cannabis ‘has tripled from 31 to 100 tonnes since April 2024 compared to the same period last year.’
“It is very simple to get a prescription online…You just tick what sort of discomfort you allegedly have on a checklist and you get an online prescription,” she told the publication, adding that “abuse is clearly behind these figures.”
Bloomwell Group CEO and Co-Founder, Niklas Kouparanis, in contrast, said that these import figures ‘send a clear message’.
Acknowledging that ‘low threshold digital access’ has been a key growth driver, he argued that this has ‘enabled several hundred thousand patients, who previously obtained medical cannabis illegally (which involved considerable risks), to access legal medical cannabis prescribed by physicians and dispensed in licensed pharmacies.’
“The German model thus serves as a model for the entire EU in how to ensure safe, reliable, and digitally-powered access to medical cannabis, and, above all, how to successfully transform an illegal patient care system into a legal one on a large scale. There is no turning back.”
When the CDU/CSU and the SPD, the original driving force behind CanG, agreed to form a coalition, they agreed to evaluate the legalisation of cannabis after the summer. It is understood that Warken intends to wait for the results of this evaluation before acting.
Elsewhere, medical professional and CDU member of the Bundestag Streeck, has become the new Federal Government’s Drug Commissioner, replacing SPD politician Burkhard Blienert, who was appointed to the post by former Health Minister and CanG architect Karl Lauterbach (SPD).
As reported by RND, before entering politics, he expressed some more nuanced views on cannabis legalisation in a 2022 interview.
“Studies have shown that cannabis can impair brain development, especially in adolescents. This can result in an increased susceptibility to mental disorders,” he said.
“However, the right to self-determination and proportionality would speak in favour of legalisation.”
According to Hanfverband, views published on his own website show that Streeck was opposed to the passage of CanG under the traffic-light coalition, arguing that it would harm German society. It is noted that these statements now appear to have been removed from his website.
‘Step in the right direction’ for hemp
For years, THC-free or low-THC hemp flowers in Germany have occupied a regulatory grey zone. Despite containing no psychoactive substances, they are often treated as illegal ‘cannabis’ under the CanG Act because of the long-maligned ‘intoxication clause.’
This clause allowed authorities to classify hemp flowers as narcotics based on their theoretical potential for misuse, even if the actual THC content was negligible or zero.
Earlier this month, customs authorities began issuing official tobacco tax stamps for hemp flowers containing no detectable levels of THC. The move marks a regulatory step forward, with such products now recognised as taxable industrial goods rather than illegal cannabis under narcotics law.
The decision, confirmed by the Cannabis Industry Association (BvCW), follows a long-standing legal dispute and signals a change in official interpretation of the German Cannabis Act.
“We are very pleased that customs has now apparently changed its legal opinion,” said Philipp Ferrer, Managing Director of CBD company Weedo, which brought a successful case before the Düsseldorf Finance Court in 2024. The judgment required tax stamps to be issued for THC-free hemp, although the ruling is currently under appeal.
The first company to benefit from the new interpretation is Sanaleo, which received Germany’s inaugural tax stamp for its THC-free CBD flowers earlier this month. The product will now be subject to the standard 19% VAT and an additional tobacco tax, aligning it with other smokable goods.
Despite the milestone, uncertainty remains. The General Customs Directorate has indicated it may continue to apply the previous, more restrictive legal view.
The BvCW is now calling for broader reform, including the removal of the intoxication clause and recognition of all hemp flowers with up to 0.3% THC, the EU’s threshold for industrial hemp.
“The refusal to issue tax stamps for compliant products is increasingly untenable,” said Dr Ferdinand Weis, a lawyer and board member of the association.
The post Germany’s Green Rush: Medical Cannabis Imports Continue Record Growth, As Political Pushback Grows in Tandem appeared first on Business of Cannabis.
Continue reading...
