Commercial hemp growers in Neumünster, Germany, were recently jubilant about their first legal marijuana harvest. Owned and operated by Canadian cannabis company Aphria RX, the plantation has grown a batch of 50 kilograms (110 pounds). The company told DW in a statement that they aim to expand production to “about a ton in the course of the next 12 months.” Security precautions are tight at Aphria RX’s indoor growing facility, with the plants grown behind tall concrete walls with barbed wire. That is because the use of medical marijuana in Germany still falls under sweeping narcotics laws overseen by the Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). Now the first supplies from Neumünster have been sent to pharmacies all over Germany and will be distributed “by prescription only” to patients suffering mainly from pain, spasticity, or anorexia. The use of cannabis for medicinal purposes was legalized in Germany in 2017. The BfArM institute chose three cultivators in 2019 to ensure a national supply — two of which, Aurora Cannabis and Aphria RX, are based in Canada, while the other is Germany-based startup Demecan.
Mmp News Author, Medical Marijuana Program Connection, 07/13/2021 07:44:00