France, Lux, and Belgium

Brussels, the hidden gem for cannabis

🇫🇷France has a new Health Minister. Olivier Veran, a neurologist by training. Why is it interesting? As an MP, Olivier Veran was a leading figure for medical cannabis. He was the one to introduce an amendment to the 2020 Social Security Financing Bill that provided a clear legal basis for the medical cannabis pilot program. His appointment is also interesting because it is expected that before the end of the pilot, the Government, under the guidance of the Ministry of Health will send a report to Parliament. What will be in the report? The report will discuss the terms of the generalization of the use of cannabis for medical purposes, including how it will be covered by health insurance.

🇱🇺Meanwhile, the current Health Minister of Luxembourg has already made it clear that he wants the Grand Duchy to become the first in the EU to legalize and regulate the “adult-use” consumer market. Back in 2018, the Government of Luxembourg passed a law to decriminalize medical cannabis for patients with severe unmet needs. General practitioners and specialist medical professionals are now able to prescribe cannabis to eligible patients. And last fall, Spectrum Therapeutics became the exclusive supplier of medical cannabis for the country.

So, what’s left in Continental Europe?

🇧🇪 Let’s look at Belgium.

Since the start of the year, several players have been very vocal:

• A local pharma company claims that its CBD oil without prescription is now available in pharmacies
• The main drug & addiction NGO is circulating a survey on the medical use of cannabis
• Physicians, elected officials, and NGOs are pushing for cannabis social clubs

We’re living a momentum following 2 key announcements from last year:

• The Parliament passed an amendment that provides for the creation of a dedicated Cannabis Office, which will oversee access to cannabis as well as research
• The Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products issued a circular allowing pharmacists to carry out pharmaceutical compounding of CBD-based products and dispense such products to patients

Today, Belgium doesn’t have a fully-fledged government at the federal level. But this is going to change. We should be prepared.

🇪🇺 If you have strong ambitions in Europe, then Brussels and Belgium should be on your map.

We’re preparing something BIG on April 21 in Brussels.

Write to me at laurene@tradeactive.org with the title “Cannabis Renaissance” to be kept in the loop.