As cannabis companies eye expansion in European and South American markets, Asia is poised to be a new frontier for some major Canadian pot players. Despite being the world’s most populous continent, it is estimated that Asia’s cannabis usage is about two per cent, or 85.5 million people, according to London-based cannabis data provider Prohibition Partners. However, several Asian countries are on the cusp of embracing medical cannabis and the continent could see its marijuana market grow to as much as US$5.8 billion by 2024, Prohibition Partners said in a recent report. That’s caught the attention of some Canadian cannabis players including Canopy Growth Corp.

Au pied du mont Tidghine, plus haut sommet du massif du Rif, dans le nord du Maroc, le village d’Azila est couvert de plantations de cannabis, prêt à être récolté. Mais les temps sont durs pour les cultivateurs locaux, dont l’activité, tolérée bien qu’officiellement interdite, pâtit de la concurrence du chanvre produit en Europe et de « lenteurs » dans la mise en œuvre d’une loi adoptée en 2021 légalisant le cannabis thérapeutique. « On reste attachés à cette plante et pourtant elle ne nous rapporte plus rien. Plus personne n’en veut ! », se désole Souad*, cultivatrice de chanvre à Azila, dans la commune de Ketama. « On est loin des années fastueuses. On vivote dans des conditions difficiles ».(Voir aussi: Maroc : les nouveaux rois du Rif)

Austria’s health agency AGES has revealed that the medical grade cannabis was sold to pharmaceutical companies which used it to make cannabinoid painkillers, used for treating cancer patients. Such medications are banned in Austria. Greens MP Eva Mückstein said it was outrageous that AGES was able to produce and sell cannabis but Austrian patients could not benefit from this. She is calling for the laws on the use of medical grade cannabis to be relaxed. (See also: Greens launch cannabis legalization tour)

La comisión de Presupuesto y Hacienda de la Cámara de Diputados avanzó en el dictamen del proyecto del Poder Ejecutivo, que cuenta con sanción del Senado, que establece el "marco regulatorio para el desarrollo de la industria del cannabis medicinal y el cáñamo industrial". El proyecto promueve mecanismos de autorizaciones para los productores y comercializadores, y estrategias de seguridad, fiscalización y trazabilidad en la cadena. El objetivo del texto es brindar un marco regulatorio para la inversión pública y privada en toda la cadena del cannabis medicinal y complementar la actual legislación, la Ley 27.350, que autoriza el uso terapéutico y paliativo del cannabis. En el caso del cáñamo industrial, apunta a legalizar los eslabones productivos, los de comercialización y sus subproductos.

For some time now patients in Belgium have been able to use cannabis on medical grounds.  So far the problem has been that suitable cannabis has been hard to get hold of as cannabis cultivation was banned in Belgium. This ban is now being lifted for cannabis for medicinal purposes but cultivation will have to meet strict norms. "A newly established Cannabis Office will organise the cultivation of all cannabis" lawmaker Nele Lijnen (Flemish liberal), who took the initiative for the law said. "It will issue licences.  The office will also purchase the cannabis production and sell it on to chemists and hospitals." Medicinal cannabis will only be available on doctor's prescription.

The BMJ has uncovered links between companies, campaign groups and individuals lobbying for wider patient access to cannabis for medical use and a parallel campaign to create a lucrative recreational market for the drug in the UK. The article focuses on the links between commercial organisations that are seeking new markets for recreational cannabis and patient groups and researchers. Some suggest that the debate is being fuelled by a growing breed of new companies, ranging from large scale cannabis growers and distributors in Canada to UK and international investment groups, which are manoeuvring to take advantage of a widely anticipated shift in the UK’s cannabis regulatory landscape.

The cannabis sector is heating up for a big start in Brazil. Deputy Paulo Teixeira (PT-SP) handed over the proposed law 399/2015, which legalizes the cultivation of cannabis in Brazil for medical and industrial use, to the president of the Chamber of Deputies. The proposal foresees an increase in plant-based medicine because it reduces the cost of imported input, lowering the price of cannabis drugs. "In pharmacies, there are two Cannabis-based medicines registered by Anvisa [Health Surveillance Agency], Sativex, produced by the English company GW Pharma, and Cannabidiol, by Brazilian Prati-Donaduzzi," says Teixeira. On average, each costs R $ 2,500. Prati's cannabidiol comes from Canada. (See also: Brazilian plan for legal cultivation of industrial hemp, MMJ moving ahead as nation battles pandemic)

La Fundación para el Desarrollo de Cannabis en Europa (Eurofucann), reportó que en países latinos como Colombia y Perú, el año pasado cada uno dejó de recibir inversión extranjera de por lo menos US$300 millones, ya que las empresas que trabajan con el cannabis medicinal tienen problemas en la relación con entidades financieras no solo para pedir créditos, sino para guardar los dineros. En el caso de Colombia, donde entre 2017 y 2018 creció 34% el número de empresas con licencia para la explotación de la planta (y hoy va en 94 entidades con el permiso), el presidente de Pharmacielo, Federico Cock, señaló que solo BBVA “está ofreciendo oportunidades para que las compañías del sector puedan solucionar temas como monetización y el fondeo”.

Las autoridades sanitarias de Brasil aprobaron la normativa para el registro y la venta de medicamentos a base de marihuana en las farmacias del país. La decisión de la Agencia Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria (Anvisa), vinculada al Ministerio de Salud, entrará en vigor en 90 días a partir de su publicación en el Diario Oficial y se someterá a una revisión pasados tres años. El objetivo de la medida es "encontrar una forma de garantizar el acceso, por la vía de la asistencia farmacéutica" y "asegurar un mínimo de garantía para los usuarios de los productos", señaló Anvisa en un comunicado. Anvisa agregó que las compañías deberán continuar investigando para probar la eficacia y seguridad de sus fórmulas.

Brazil’s national health agency (ANVISA) approved new rules for the registration of cannabis-based products for medicinal purposes in the country, authorizing their sale in pharmacies. By three votes to one, the agency rejected a proposal that would endorse cultivation for research and production of medicines - which in practice will force companies to import raw materials. Nonetheless, HempMeds, the first company to bring drugs to Brazil, saw the move as an important step, especially in reducing the cost to patients. (See also: New guidelines approved for medical cannabis in Brazil | Brazil’s new medical cannabis rules reject domestic cultivation, potentially setting up large import market)

Brazil's National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) approved the registration of the first cannabis-based product in the country. Cannabidiol oil may be sold in pharmacies only with a special prescription provided by local health surveillance. This is the first registration granted by the agency since the agency approved a regulation that opens space for the sale of cannabis-based products in these locations, based on some criteria. The agency created a new category of plant-based products, different from the one used for medicines. The product is a phytopharmaceutical based on cannabidiol. This component of cannabis has a therapeutic effect on some conditions. (See also: Brazil approves first medical cannabis product under 2019 regulations)

After Brazil’s health authority shelved a proposal on domestic cannabis cultivation, a court decided in the opposite direction, allowing – for the first time in Brazil – a company to grow hemp commercially. The court’s decision could spur other cannabis companies to appeal to the judicial system for permission to cultivate domestically. The ruling of the Federal Court of the Federal District authorized Schoenmaker Humanko, part of the Terra Viva group – a large Brazilian floricultural company – to import hempseeds of varieties with less than 0.3% THC to grow in Brazil. In his decision, the judge allowed the company to “sell the seeds, leaves and fibers exclusively for industrial purposes, including as inputs,” under supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture and ANVISA, the Brazilian National Sanitary Surveillance Agency.

Not too long ago, Ehud Olmert was trying to lead Israel to a historic peace agreement. These days, the former Israeli prime minister is pushing a different message: Legalize marijuana. Olmert is among a group of former Israeli leaders and security chiefs who have found new careers in the country’s tightly controlled medical cannabis industry. They hope not only to cash in on the local market, but also to clear the way for the country’s major marijuana producers to export. “Everything will change dramatically overnight if there will be legalization,” Olmert, an adviser to the startup Univo, said. In Israel alone, he said, “the market would be unlimited. It would be huge.” Israel is one of the world leaders in medical cannabis consumption and marijuana possession is decriminalized.

Two Canadian researchers hope their work — mapping the cannabis sativa genome — will get rid of the stigma which they say surrounds the cultivation of hemp and marijuana in Canada. University of Saskatchewan's Jon Page and University of Toronto's Tim Hughes hope other scientists will use their work to develop marijuana as a legitimate medical ingredient, and hemp as a high-quality, fast-growing crop.

Developing a medical cannabis industry is among top policy priorities for Thailand's new government, according to a document released before the formal announcement. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the former junta leader who heads a civilian government following March elections, is due to set out the policies for debate in the national assembly. Developing the medical cannabis industry was a key demand of the Bhumjaithai party, one of the biggest parties in Prayuth's 19-party coalition. "The study and technological development of marijuana, hemp, and other medicinal herbs should be sped up for the medical industry to create economic opportunity and income for the people," the policy document said.

Did dagga growers influence MPs? The withdrawal of the Opium and Habit-Forming Drugs (Amendment) Bill No.06 of 2020 in the House of Assembly, has raised more questions than answers. Dagga grower Jama said he would continue advocating that dagga should not be legalised and that members of the Royal Eswatini Police Services (REPS) should continue destroying it but not all of it. “By destroying the dagga, the police control the price of dagga from dropping further,” said Jama. Another dagga grower, Musa, also said he was pleased that the Bill had been withdrawn. He said this was good because it meant that the value of the dagga would continue to be high.

The potential for cannabis in South Africa is enormous. The country has drought-resistant acclimatised genetic strains that have naturalised over hundreds of years, combined with tens of thousands of existing farmers who are familiar with the crop and how to grow it. The country’s long history of illicit cannabis production and export puts us in a strong position to develop a local cannabis market that unlocks the entire value chain, stimulates economic growth and generates substantial tax revenue for the fiscus. Early estimates for a co-operative farming and agro-processing model based on empowering small farmers as a strategy to regenerate rural economies indicate considerable economic potential.

As Morocco's 2021 round of elections approaches, the cannabis question is once again on the table. The Moroccan government approved the bill to legalize medicinal cannabis for export on March 11 of this year. Proponents of the bill argue that the legalization of cannabis is intended for the promotion of its medical use and that the lucrative revenues will boost the Moroccan economy. The bill was introduced by Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit, who said it would positively impact the underdeveloped regions of northern Morocco and improve economic prospects for the Riffian population. Amid the run-up to the 2021 elections, the question of the legalization of cannabis legalization has grown more divisive among political parties and is being weaponized to glean votes. 

The recommendation follows the completion of a market study of the cannabis industry in Jamaica, which revealed that funding is one of the major impediments in the industry. The FTC report, which was released in August, stated "policymakers should consider establishing [a] source of funding to encourage easier entry/expansion of the legitimate trade of cannabis". The agency said this is crucial as potential entrants may encounter difficulties accessing loans through local financial institutions given global efforts to limit the illegal trade of cannabis. The recommendation was also made in light of the fact that access of legally produced cannabis to international markets is likely to be frustrated by numerous treaties established to curtail the illegal trade of cannabis.