Europe

The United Nations’ International Narcotics Board recently criticized global cannabis legalization efforts, saying the reforms lead to “higher consumption, negative health effects and psychotic disorders.”

Alex Rogers is an American medical cannabis business owner and founder of the International Cannabis Business Conference.

With cannabis laws steadily relaxing across continental Europe, how likely is Spain to see significant cannabis reforms this year?

Amsterdam officials have banned the use of cannabis on the streets of the city’s historic red light district in an attempt to improve the quality of life for local residents.

The Scottish National Investment Bank is investing £2 million (about $2.4 million) into Scotland-based IndiNature Mill, a firm which specializes in hemp-based insulation products.

With cannabis reforms gaining traction around the world, most predict Germany to be the next major legalization victory — the question is will that happen in 2023, or beyond?

Coming off the heels of a very big year for cannabis, what does 2023 have in store for the emerging international industry?

Ireland is the latest EU country to consider adult-use cannabis reforms following the introduction of a legalization proposal by People Before Profit MP Gino Kenny.

Germany this week announced its plans for adult-use cannabis legalization including possession limitations and home grow provisions.

On Monday, the Czech cabinet was slated to review a draft plan for addressing drug addiction in the country including launching a regulated cannabis market and increasing spending on treatment.

The Amsterdam council is expected to vote against banning tourists from the city’s cannabis-serving coffee shops.

In less than a decade, the cannabis industry has gone from seeing a worldwide blanket prohibition of the plant to today, where new and exciting cannabis opportunities can be found across the globe.

Beginning August 1, Switzerland will allow medical cannabis patients to obtain prescriptions directly from their doctors without needing federal permission.

Officials from Luxemburg, Germany, The Netherlands, and Malta met recently to discuss EU adult-use cannabis reforms with an eye to quashing the illicit marketplace.

Ukrainian lawmakers are reportedly considering steps to legalize medical cannabis access despite an ongoing war against Russia’s invasion.

Albania is planning to legalize the cultivation of medical and industrial cannabis and will allow companies to apply for licenses in 2023.

Spanish pharmacies will begin to sell medical cannabis as early as this fall following the approval of Spain’s Congress of Deputies and the Health Commission.

Materia Malta, a leading medical cannabis distributor in Europe, has shipped Malta’s first international cannabis export to Germany.

Germany started holding expert hearings this week related to its cannabis legalization plan, which lawmakers expect to finalize by the end of the year.

A group of California cannabis companies recently partnered for a charitable effort to send first aid kits to Ukraine.

Mayor Sadiq Khan of London, England has convened a commission to investigate decriminalizing cannabis throughout the U.K. despite opposition from some national officials.

Germany’s Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said he will begin preparations for setting up an adult-use cannabis market in the country.

A group of Washington D.C. cannabis advocates recently brought thousands of pounds of supplies to citizens displaced by the ongoing and destructive invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces.