Europe

Greek lawmakers approved a measure last week to legalize the cultivation and sale of medical cannabis products.

Curaleaf Holdings is set to acquire EMMAC Life Sciences Ltd., Europe’s largest vertically integrated cannabis company, for approximately $286 million.

A recent BDSA report found that global cannabis sales reached nearly $21.3 billion last year.

The European Union’s highest court has ruled that CBD is not a narcotic because it does not have any psychotropic or harmful effects.

A study investigating cannabis seized by law enforcement from around the world shows a steady increase in the THC levels of cannabis flower and hash products over multiple decades.

The EU Parliament has voted to raise THC limits for industrial hemp from 0.2 to 0.3 percent and to establish hemp industry marketing standards.

In France, 80 members of Parliament have signed a letter decrying cannabis legalization. The letter hinges on tired, prohibition-era tropes including slippery slope fallacies and the disproven “gateway drug” theory.

The island nation of Malta has officially run out of cannabis, both for medical patients and on the unregulated marketplace.

Zookeepers at Poland’s Warsaw Zoo have announced a new project testing whether CBD oil can help to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression in elephants.

The European Commission is considering labeling foods that contain hemp-derived CBD as “narcotic-related.” In the meantime, the commission has suspended applications for novel food products containing non-synthetic CBD.

A new policy approved in France over the weekend will see police issue on-the-spot fines of €200 for drug use, particularly for cannabis.

Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama said that lawmakers there are prepared to federally legalize medical cannabis this session.

CBD brand Swissx is reportedly in contact with the Premier League Club team Everton as the firm continues to pursue sponsoring a professional soccer team.

Police officials in North Macedonia have issued an arrest warrant for Menachem Cohen, CEO of Israeli cannabis company Medivie Therapeutic.

An EU court has ruled against the Cannabis Store Amsterdam’s attempts to register a trademark because it is “contrary to public policy,” according to the court.

A new experimental cannabis marketplace in The Netherlands will require all distributed cannabis products to utilize plain white, “unattractive” packaging that includes health warnings and only black Helvetica font.

The European Union has approved Epidiolex for the treatment of two childhood epilepsy conditions. It’s the first time the EU has approved a cannabis-based medication.

The UK’s Imperial College London is partnering with European medical cannabis company EMMAC for a study evaluating cannabis’ entourage effect as a pain relief option.

Luxembourg officials say they plan to legalize adult-use cannabis and regulate its production and distribution within the next two years.

Known British cannabis advocate Blair Gibbs is leaving a position as policy lead for the Centre of Medicinal Cannabis to join the administration of the newly appointed Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whom he has worked for previously.

Aurora Cannabis Inc. has secured an exclusive license to provide Italian pharmacies with medical cannabis products.

The latest poll is a five-point increase in favor of legalization compared to a survey conducted last year. According to recent results, just 25 percent of UK voters say they are opposed to legalizing cannabis.

CannTrust, a Canadian licensed producer of cannabis products, announced last night it was suspending all product sales and shipments until Health Canada completes its investigation into products the company produced using unlicensed grow rooms.

Danish cannabis company StenoCare has quarantined cannabis oil purchased from Canadian company CannTrust after Health Canada announced the grower’s commercial greenhouse was non-compliant.