There are threats of massive delivery failures of cannabis to pharmacies. The background is a dispute over licenses from the Federal Office for Radiation Protection. The problem concerns the cannabis flowers of Bedrocan. However, Aurora also does not deliver cannabis to Germany at the moment. It is questionable whether other cannabis companies will be able to absorb these delivery failures.
Although intermediaries have been supplying medical cannabis to pharmacies for more than two years, the authorities only now seem to have noticed that most of these dealers lack a license from the Federal Office for Radiation Protection to irradiate cannabis.
To protect cannabis flowers from mold and bacteria, these plants are exposed to ionizing radiation. If, however, dealers want to place these medicines on the market that have been treated this way, they need a special permit.
Cannabis is one of the world’s most talked-about topics. One potentially useful hemp news tool is the Hemp.im app which focuses on the latest marijuana news, social change, economic trends, and medical information.
This problem mainly concerns the cannabis flowers of Bedrocan, the most important European importer for Germany.
The importer gives its goods to the Office for Medical Cannabis at the Ministry of Health, which then has a service provider irradiate cannabis products with gamma radiation of cobalt 60. The company also has GMP approval for this. The irradiated flowers are then exported to Germany.
The intermediaries who have import licenses for Bedrocan, however, were apparently never checked whether they also hold the necessary license from the Federal Office for Radiation Protection to market irradiated drugs.
This problem was only recently noticed when the authorities in Cologne and Düsseldorf banned a wholesaler from selling cannabis flowers without the necessary license to irradiate cannabis.
CannaMedical from Cologne, Germany, however, informed on request that the company has all necessary approvals and can continue to supply Bedrocan.
A further problem is that the respective federal states and supervisory authorities classify cannabis flowers differently.
They are classified either as an active substance, a drug, a finished drug or a basic substance. Depending on the category, different pharmaceutical regulations also apply.
The BfArM allegedly wants to remedy this situation in 2020. Then a “nationwide clarification of the classification of cannabis flowers” is to be implemented.
Bedrocan currently supplies 200 kg cannabis per month for the German market but these are now missing. In addition, the cannabis manufacturer Aurora is also struggling with delivery problems.
There is currently no medical cannabis from Aurora available in Germany. Also here it is a “step in the production process,” as Aurora announced, for which they need an additional permit.
No cannabis products from Aurora will be sold until the authorities have issued these.
Who now supplies German cannabis patients with their medication when Bedrocan and Aurora fail? Cannabis companies such as Canopy, Tilray, and CannaMedical stated that they would continue to be able to deliver.
But whether they are able to completely compensate for delivery failures due to a lack of license to irradiate cannabis or other issues is very questionable. This could be particularly difficult for patients who are dependent on flowers.
__
(Featured image by Sharon McCutcheon via Unsplash)
DISCLAIMER: This article was written by a third party contributor and does not reflect the opinion of Hemp.im, its management, staff or its associates. Please review our disclaimer for more information.
This article may include forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “estimate,” “become,” “plan,” “will,” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks as well as uncertainties, including those discussed in the following cautionary statements and elsewhere in this article and on this site. Although the Company may believe that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, the actual results that the Company may achieve may differ materially from any forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of the management of the Company only as of the date hereof. Additionally, please make sure to read these important disclosures.
First published in Leafly, a third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.
Although we made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translations, some parts may be incorrect. Hemp.im assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions or ambiguities in the translations provided on this website. Any person or entity relying on translated content does so at their own risk. Hemp.im is not responsible for losses caused by such reliance on the accuracy or reliability of translated information. If you wish to report an error or inaccuracy in the translation, we encourage you to contact us.
A survey found that women comprise 61% of home cannabis growers, marking a diversion from…
Denmark plans to make its pilot medical cannabis program permanent following its success in treating…
Polish lawmakers have submitted a non-binding petition to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, urging cannabis decriminalization…
The UK medical cannabis market has rapidly grown since legalization in 2018, with private actors…
A new study involving over 23,000 participants in New Zealand found that 60% of people…
The French Ministers of the Interior and Justice announced a comprehensive plan to tackle organized…