International Market Activity Heats Up with Summer — June 2024 Brief

We are delighted to welcome you to June’s cannabis brief. As always, we expect that you can derive valuable insights from our compilation of global news.

 

June has seen an explosion of activity in markets like Germany and the UK, as companies hurry to close agreements ahead of Summer. Consolidation in mature US states like California and Colorado coexists with growth in Michigan or Florida. For Canadian or Israeli companies bad signals coexist with positive results.

 

Key figures from the last month include:

  • Up to 12% of Germans use cannabis weekly, 17% occasionally.
  • In Germany 54% of Gen Zs are weekly or occasional consumers.
  • 25 milion units of cannabis products are sold in Michigan each month.
  • Oregon prices are the lowest in the US sitting at $3.6/g for flower.
  • In the US, 20% of pregnant women use CBD for anxiety, etc.
 
Do not hesitate to reach us at info@cannamonitor.com with any suggestion.

Table of Contents

 Infographic of the Month:

CBD demographics in France

Data on CBD usage in France: prevalence, products, personas
Unlocking the Future of CBD in France: Consumer Insights and Market Prospects
 Discover the future of CBD in France with key insights on market trends, consumer behavior, and growth opportunities. Learn how to navigate the challenges and capitalise on the booming CBD industry in Europe’s largest market.
🏛️
Regulation

German cannabis clubs begin licensing process but not expected to be operational until 2025, Australian private cannabis clinics come under scrutiny, Brazilian supreme court descriminalises personal use, recreational experiment in the Netherlands gathers steam, while cannabis reformers sit as bystanders in UK & French elections.

💼
Market

Medical market entries explode in GermanyMichigan overcomes California as largest cannabis market in the US by volume as MSOs ready for legalisation in Florida, first products grown in Britain reach patients as competition intensifies between clinics, multinationals seek to capitalise on the vibrant Australian medical market, Israeli market keeps falling after failed reforms.

🔬
Market

Innovations in the development of solid CBD dosage forms, and research on the effect of CBD on pregnancies. 

🇩🇪 Germany begins licensing clubs to be fully operational by 2025, medical market entries explode, brands diversify to home-growing supplies:

 

🏛️ Cultivation associations can now apply for cultivation permits: Health Minister Lauterbach claims that cannabis clubs “make dealers unemployed”. However club founders warn that cannabis from the clubs will likely not be available until early next year.

 

💼 Post-legalisation surveys finds similar consumption volumes: despite a boom in home-growing products and a swirl of activity in the medical market most users are still sourcing from illicit sources, showcasing the high market potential. 12% of Germans use cannabis weekly, 17% occasionally and 71% never use it, but up to 54% Gen Zs are weekly or occasional consumers.

 

🔬 Avextra and SynQube announce a strategic partnership in drug development with cannabinoids and psychotropic substances. Avextra aims to develop cannabis-based capsules for cancer therapy.

 
🇺🇸 In the US, Michigan overcomes California as largest volume market by units sold, while MSOs reposition in Florida ahead of referendum:

 

🏛️ The rescheduling process continues with call by former DEA administrators to request a hearing to gather additional data, scientific analysis and impact analysis. US Supreme Court struck down the doctrine of Chevron deference, ending 4 decades of judicial deference to federal agency interpretations of ambiguous statues, with an uncertain effect on the ongoing rescheduling process.

 

💼 Michigan has recently become the largest cannabis market in the US (and the World), surpassing California in units sold, thanks to out-of-state consumers and government incentives.

 

🔬Triploid hemp shows reduced fertility, showing potential to reduce seed production and improve floral biomass and cannabinoid yields.

 
🇬🇧 UK: Cannabis reform absent of political platforms ahead of election, first Made in Britain products are delivered to patients, clinics compete in price:

 

🏛️  Campaing for the general election is underway with calls to cannabis reform, which could deliver over £1bn in much needed tax revenue. Only the liberal democrats have included legalisation in their manifesto, criticising the war on drugs waged by Labour and Conservatives.

 

💼 The first “Made in Britain” medical cannabis flower product has been delivered to patients: grown by Glass Pharms in Wiltshare and dispensed by Releaf UK.

 

🔬 As many as 1.4 million adults (6.38% of the population) in the UK purchase illicit cannabis to self-treat chronic health conditions, cross-sectional survey finds.

 
🇨🇦 Canada streamlines requirements to its domestic operators but more will be required to stop steady stream of bankruptcies:

 

🏛️  Consultation period to amend cannabis regulations to streamline requirements is underway, with proposed changes including lower security and licensing requirements, more liberal packaging allowing transparent containers, and exemptions for certain license and product types.

 

💼 Excess inventory remains a concern in Canada, with 53.7 million unsold units remaining unsold as of December 2023 according to Health Canada data which shows a very small decrease.

 

🔬 Avicanna obtains US patient for its drug dleivery SEDDS technology offers non-invasive administration of cannabinoids with improved absorption and stability.

 
🇦🇺 In Australia, private cannabis clinics come under scrutiny, as global corporations eye its lucrative medical market:

 

🏛️  Private cannabis clinics have come under scrutiny in Australia, with concerns about rapid and cheap consultations, payments from suppliers to promote products, and illicit advertisements.

 

💼 Distributor shares insights on fast-growing market segments: organic-grown flower with differentiated terpene profiles, flavoured oils more palatable for patients, vapes & small-dose edibles are seeing most traction in the market.

 
🇧🇷 Brazilian court decision on decriminalisation of personal use marks a significant step, but legislative reforms still pending:

 

🏛️  The Federal Supreme Court voted in favour of the decriminalisation of drug possession for personal use, with the differentiation between personal use and drug trafficking discussed with different quantity thresholds.

 

💼 82% of cannabis cultivation is for medicinal purposes, study finds, led by patient associations under judge authorisation.

 

🔬 Observational study on the use of CBD-dominant full-spectrum extracts in children and adolescents with autism showed significant improvements in social symptoms.

 

🇮🇱 Israeli market is in free fall following failed prescription reforms:

 

🏛️ Only about 20% of existing medical cannabis patients are eligible for an unlicensed prescription following the Ministry of Health reforms, with the other 80% still requiring a cumbersome authorisation: private insurers now need to approve prescriptions by bureaucratic process, pain clinics overloaded as patients need an additional visit to specialist to get prescribed.

 

💼 Drop in the number of patients continues for the fourth month in a row, with over 10,000 patients losing their licenses over the failed reform.

 

🔬Innocan Pharma conducted a successful preliminary safety evaluation of LPT-CBD in minipigs, further supporting the safety profile of LPT-CBD and its potential in sustained-release therapy.

 

🇳🇱 The recreational experiment in the Netherlands is in full steam, new ventures get ready to take part in both production and retail:

 

🏛️ The Transition phase of the Closed Coffee Shop Chain Experiment has begun, allowing regulated cannabis sales in the 10 participating municipalities.

  • Mayors of Breda and Tilburg report positive results of the start-up phase in their municipalities, with growing demand for legal products. However in the Hague there is political division.
  • Improvement areas detected in the first phase included the increase in allowed stocks to limit bottlenecks, malfunctions in the track & trace system, and clear instructions for transport.
  • Amsterdam Tourist shop is closed due to selling too many cannabis products and tourist items without the necessary function designation in the zoning plan.
 

💼 Experiment grower Q-Farms begins construction of 5,000sqm facility in Vendaam, seeking the rejoin the program next year.

  • The Plug is expanding its Coffee Shop chain with a rebranded location in Rotterdam on top of 2 in Amsterdam and another in Amersfoort.
  • Neighbours complain about smell of legal grower CanAdelaar, with 112 complaints to date.
 

🔬 Wageningen University studies the role of red and white light in optimising growth and accumulation of plant specialised metabolites in medical cannabis.

 

🇫🇷 In France, snap election leaves medical program generalisation in suspense, CBD market focuses attention:

🏛️  Snap elections cast doubts over the future of the French medical cannabis scheme, which was to be included in the 2024 Social Security budget: main political parties do not include cannabis reform in their agendas.

  • Medicines regulator ANSM expands the list of hospitals that can prescribe medical cannabis according to the experimentation, currently extended until the end of the year.
  • ANSM forbids semi-synthetic molecules such as H4-CBD, but it clarifies that CBNA, THCV, THCVA and THCA are not included in the narcotics list.
  • 🇵🇫 French Polynesia assembly examines cannabis bill allowing the importation of cannabis medicines from Metropolitan France, as well as cannabis seeds for cultivation.

💼 Orléans-based medical LP Overseed raises €4.7M to produce 100% Made in France oils, seeking to register products in the country from 2025.

🔬 Bordeaux-based Aelis Farma presents research on new molecule AEF0117 with potential to treat drug addiction.

 
🇪🇸 In Spain endorsements of cannabis reform multiply, as medicinal production projects make strides:

 

🏛️  Spanish pharmacists demand strict distinction between medicinal and adult uses of cannabis, while arguing for a limited list of patients and indications to benefit from medical cannabis.

 

💼 Canamedics becomes first Catalan company to cultivate medicinal cannabis near Barcelona to validate its GMP processes, with the goal of supplying up to 27% THC flower to Germany.

 
🇦🇷 In Argentina, it is likely that conditions to access the patient registry will be tightened, as first local LPs eye the export market:

 

🏛️  Inscriptions to the Reprocann are still limited, with up to 90,000 patients waiting for approval as the Health Ministry is auditing the system to restrict patient access through greater controls, which could include requiring municipal authorisation and background checks on producers.

 

💼 Botanicanns becomes the first private company to obtain GACP certification for cannabis production, and it will now seek to export cannabis products to Europe and other countries.

 

🔬 Santa Fe scientists study the anti-tumoral properties of high-CBD oil, showing a 50% reduction of cellular proliferation after 1000mg of CBD in an in-vivo study.

 
🇿🇦 In South Africa, recent decriminalisation boosts prospects of exploding grey market, reforms are needed to fulfil commercial potential:

 

🏛️ South Africa risks losing out on market opportunities due to unclear regulations for commercial production. Only a small number of entities with medicinal cannabis licenses in South Africa are actually exporting, with many licensed growers deviating supply to the growing local grey market.

 

💼 Cilo Cybin becomes first cannabis company to list in the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

 

 

🌎 Other news

 

🇨🇿 In the Czech Republic, the first online cannabis clinic is offering treatment for chronic pain:

  • CBD producer Annabis is back as a medical cannabis distributor, including distribution of its own range of cannabis produced locally by Elkoplast.
  • EcoStem, a collaboration of Czech Hempoint and Ukrainian Hemp, is seeking investors to build the first hemp-processing facility in the country, capable to process over 30,000 tonnes of biomass annually.
 

🇵🇹 In Portugal, California tissue-culture leader Conception Nurseries unveils new facility.

 

🇵🇱 In PolandCanopy Growth launches new strain Jack Haze with 19% THC under its Spectrum brand, substituting the previous Lemon Skunk variety.

 

🇮🇹 Italian hemp supply chain calls for intervention of the European Commission regarding the ban on cannabis light, as it risks violating regulations on free competition and movement of goods.

 

🇯🇵 Japanese CBD industry is sounding the alarms after government proposal of strict THC limits.

 

🇨🇭 In Switzerland, swisscann tec has begun cultivation of 5 cultivars of 24-30% THC, destined for the local market as well as Germany’s.

  • DSM-firmenich develops CBtru, a patented CBD drug intermediate allowing the development of solid dosage forms, higher CBD API loading and optimised CBD bioavailability.
  • Survey of small-scale cultivators finds that Swiss CBD growers tend to be older, more experienced, more focused on commercial production, and less likely to use recreationally.
 

🇨🇴 Expectations for liberal drug policies in Colombia‘s cannabis sector have not been fully met, integration of medicinal cannabis into medical practice has been limited, with flower not being available to Colombian patients.

  • Only a small percentage of licensed cultivators and exporters are currently operating: industry association denounces unrealistic standards imposed by the government.
 

🇺🇾 Uruguayan suppliers shift to Brasil as a key trade partner: 85% of value of exports destined to the Latin American giant this year.

 

🇸🇮 In a consultative referendum during the European election, Slovenian voters supported medical use of cannabis (66%) and limited personal use (51%), highlighting growing support for reform.

  • CBD brand and manufacturer PharmaHemp positive about potential of CBD cosmetics in Asia-Pacific despite regulatory hurdles, with China prohibiting CBD use in cosmetics in 2021.
 

🇹🇭 In Thailand, the Public Health Minister still plans to recriminalise cannabis, citing a survey where 80% supported it, and a 10-fold increase in prevalence of use by young adults since 2022.

 

🇲🇦 Development agency funds the construction of processing plants in Northern Morocco.

 

🇰🇷 In South Korea, poor public perception hinders growth of CBD cosmetics: education and well-being benefits are key, a “star brand” is needed to increase adoption of CBD cosmetics.

  • Research to extract functional components on the roots and stems of hemp is underway.
 

🇳🇿 In New ZealandOra Pharm introduces new plant processing and export services for other domestic LPs, as it partners with Australian Breathe Life Sciences to list on CanXChange.

 

🇩🇰 In DenmarkCBD-infused medical device manufacturer CS Medica announces partnership with healthcare distributor OneMed.

 

 

🇧🇪 In Belgium, private hospital of group CHC has partnered with CBD start-up CBX Medical to plant 3 hectares of hemp in a nearby field belonging to the clinic.

 

 

🇿🇼 In Zimbabwethree pharmaceutical companies have received manufacturing licenses for cannabis medicines.

 

🇨🇳Chinese study showed that Hemp essential oil had anti-tumor and anti-neuropathic pain effects, by reducing inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6.

 

🇨🇱 A study in Chile found some improvement in working memory and attention after 6 months of cannabis use abstinence.

 

🇧🇧 In Barbados, Chief of Police clarifies that possession of small quantities of cannabis will now be met with a small fine, instead of arrest.

 

🇱🇧 Research evaluates the suitability and productivity of hemp cultivation in Lebanon, considering climate and soil conditions: irrigation techniques key to improve hemp yield and biomass.

 

🇮🇳 In India, Bengaluru startup offers online delivery of Ayurvedic cannabis products.

 

🇲🇽 Mexico health regulator grants additional licenses for hemp production.

 

🇱🇺 Luxembourg will call a tender to supply medical cannabis, following ongoing supply issues.

 

🇦🇪 Spain’s CBD creams and oils from The Beemine Lab are available in the United Arab Emirates.

 

🇨🇷 Scientists in Costa Rica analyse potential of CBD for post-exercise recovery.

Tags :
Australia,Brasil,Canada,France,Germany,Israel,South Africa,Spain,United Kingdom,United States
Share This :
Cannabis Data
& Intelligence.
Subscribe to Get the Latest News Review for Free