Europe Is Only Months Away from a “Recreational Cannabis Domino Effect”

Curaleaf, the U.S. recreational cannabis giant now valued at more than $8 billion, has officially completed the integration of EMMAC Life Sciences, the European leader in the development and production of medical cannabis. The move comes in anticipation of what it believes will be the impending rise of recreational cannabis in Europe.

Of course, the change isn’t going to happen overnight. But any developments that do occur in recreational cannabis will be covered in our free-to-download Hemp.IM cannabis news app.

A Strategic International Recreational Cannabis Move

The company announced last week that it has completed a $350 million acquisition of EMMAC (which has been renamed Curaleaf International) over nine months. It also reported that the two companies’ recreational cannabis operations are now “fully integrated.”

Curaleaf International CEO Antonio Costanzo told BusinessCann that this was an important moment for both companies, laying “the foundation for the group’s expansion beyond the U.S. into Europe.”

“It’s important for us at EMMAC, but it’s also important for Curaleaf because it’s clear that they took this big step, made a big decision last April, to start moving into international markets.”

Recreational Cannabis Gains Ground

The deal is the latest in a growing number of U.S. cannabis companies looking to invest in the European recreational cannabis market.

During last week’s Cannabis Europa 2021 conference in London, Stephen Murphy, co-founder and CEO of Prohibition Partners, said the progress in the region is “representative of the growing interest in Europe by U.S. companies… who are now investing and participating in the sector.”

However, unlike many of its peers who are choosing to focus on the safer bet of medical cannabis growth in Europe, Curaleaf is preparing for what it sees as the inevitable legalization of recreational cannabis.

“We think we’re on the verge of seeing the next big inflection point, which is the legalization by some countries of access to recreational cannabis, we think that’s going to happen sometime in 2022 to early 2023.”

“We’re close to the political actors who are leading this conversation in some ways, in some of the key jurisdictions. We’re seeing a lot of interest in those discussions,” Costanzo said, pointing to the cannabis production and distribution tests being set up in the Netherlands and Switzerland.

He added that he believes there is a “very strong chance” that a referendum will be held in Malta in the first half of 2022 on the legalization of recreational cannabis, and he expects that “we will have a set of rules for the legalization of recreational cannabis in Germany” within the next 12 to 18 months, as we reported last week.

The European Domino Effect

Once a major European country makes the decision to legalize recreational cannabis use, there will be a “domino effect,” according to Costanzo, who compared it to the legalization of online gambling across Europe.

“When the first big countries did it, particularly Italy and France, there was a domino effect. Other countries said ‘okay, we can’t be left behind, this is happening. It’s a global trend, we’re going to regulate it as well and I think we’re going to see the exact same thing happen with cannabis.”

Learning from Canada’s Recreational Cannabis Mistakes

When that happens, the European recreational cannabis industry would be able to grow much faster than its North American counterpart by learning from the legislative mistakes made in the United States and Canada.

Peter Reitano, the co-founder of Canadian cannabis company High12, said at the conference that one could “probably write a book about the disastrous regulatory framework” put in place in Canada after legalization in 2018.

The biggest mistakes are the high taxes that have stifled nascent recreational cannabis businesses, the extremely strict regulations that prevent businesses from building relationships with their customers, and the THC limits that drive customers to seek out illicit sources.

Costanzo concluded that Curaleaf International is now in an “ideal position when and if recreational cannabis opens in Europe, as we will be able to benefit from the experience and expertise of the Curaleaf team in the U.S.”

“We can hopefully avoid some of the mistakes they made early on and be faster and more efficient here in Europe,” he added.

–

(Featured image by Christian Lue 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 newsweed, 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.