A brief analysis of the hemp market in Germany (medicine)
Analysts of the German hemp market made the following conclusions: the rate of discontinuation of sativex and dronabinol is more than 40%; medical hemp in Germany in 70 percent of cases is prescribed to patients with various pain syndromes; patients using psychoactive hemp leaves and inflorescences for treatment are less likely to report any side effects; the cessation rate of hemp drugs is 12.6%.
In 2018, about 3.1 tons of dried hemp flowers were imported to Germany. For the entire 2018 year, the country's medical insurance companies reimbursed about € 78 million for drugs, which include drug-free cannabinoids. For the first half of 2019, € 54 million was reimbursed, and 2.5 tons of hemp flowers were legally imported into the country. Statistical indicators show a clear growth of this segment of the hemp market of the “EU locomotive”.
In May 2019, a special state structure of Germany, engaged in the import of medical hemp, completed the procurement procedure for the cultivation and supply of hemp with therapeutic properties. 13 lots were sold for a total of 10.4 tons of cannabisa flowers. The first German hemp crop to have a significant therapeutic effect is expected in the fourth quarter of 2020. Licenses for the legal cultivation of psychoactive hemp are granted to three companies owned by branches of the Canadian parent structures. 13 lots of 200 kg of medical cannabis are distributed between Aphria and the Berlin branch of Aurora Germany (each of five lots - a total of one ton per year). Three more lots were given to the German startup Demecan, who was given the opportunity to grow 600 kg of leaves and inflorescences per year (the three remaining lots).
The selling price to a state-owned agency specializing in medical hemp for plant materials is € 2.3 per gram. The question remains open whether the three above-listed companies will be able to make a profit at such a final cost of the product, while the country needs to completely create the necessary infrastructure and production capacity for growing. In addition to the construction of greenhouses / enclosed spaces, the main costs will be spent on protecting facilities from unauthorized access by third parties. In addition, the above production facilities must comply with the highest production standards for such production facilities operating in the EU.
Germany will continue to rely on imports
Despite the fact that an infrastructure is being created in the country that allows it to grow quite significant amounts of legal psychoactive hemp, which will be used for medical purposes in the future, government structures will make the main focus on imports in the next few years to satisfy demand On the market. In this regard, various European and non-European countries are preparing to export the produced raw materials to the German market, replacing Canadian and Dutch (currently the only exporting countries) with their supplies. In particular, in September 2019, Germany imported 500 kg of dried flowers of legal psychoactive hemp from Portugal.
Regulatory activities that improve patient access to plants / drugs with significant therapeutic effects
In June 2019, in the Bundestag, in order to ensure greater safety in the supply of drugs, a law was adopted that simplified the mechanism for obtaining permits for patients using medical hemp during treatment. In particular, after inpatient treatment of legal psychoactive hemp as a medicine, medical insurance companies must decide within three days on whether to continue this type of treatment. When changing the dosage or switching the treatment between dried flowers or hemp extracts, patients do not need to obtain a new permit. In addition, the law aims to reduce the price of medical hemp sold through pharmacy chains. Those. previous pricing should be reformed by significantly reducing the pharmacy premium for goods sold (the cost of dried flowers of Dutch medical hemp is 7 € / g, while in pharmacy chains they are sold at a price of 24 € / g).
In Germany, actions are being taken to finance research and the use of hemp, prescribed by a special resolution of the European Parliament adopted in February 2019. In particular, in the aforementioned document, members of the European Parliament call on EU member states to provide financial support for plant research and give a clear legal definition of hemp.
Commentary of the Ukrainian Technical Hemp Association
As in any economically developed country, in 2017 in Germany strict statistics are kept on all aspects of hemp medicine. In particular, having analyzed more than 4774 data sets, analysts from the German hemp market made the following conclusions:
- medical hemp in Germany in 70 percent of cases is prescribed to patients with various pain syndromes;
- patients using psychoactive hemp leaves and inflorescences for treatment are less likely to report any side effects;
- the rate of discontinuation of drugs for drug hemp therapy is 12.6%;
- The rate of discontinuation of sativex and dronabinol is more than 40%.
Considering the possibilities of cannabis growers in our country to export therapeutic therapeutic cannabis leaves and inflorescences, national hemp growers need to carefully study the possibilities of supplying the “green mass” of Mriya, as well as other varieties of Ukrainian selection to Germany.