From Canadian LPs exporting medical flower to EU-compliant pilot projects testing social cannabis access, the future feels familiar, echoing North America’s early green rush. Garden Culture’s Haley Nagasaki reports from Berlin, where global players, German policymakers, and legendary cultivators explore the next evolution of cannabis worldwide.
Garden Culture goes to Berlin
Berlin, Germany! It is the largest European economy and the most happening show gathering ICBC has seen in the country since its inception. The Oregon cannabis events company said this themselves in a newsletter following the show, drawing a parallel between Europe today and the United States cannabis market between 2012 and 2016. Similarly, Canada saw a real revving of engines between 2015 and 2019.
An influx of energy emanates from new markets as the two-pillared approach to legalization in Germany rolled out in 2024. Germans can now grow up to three plants at home. However, the real focus is on medical and pharmaceutical applications, including Cannabis Social Clubs/Cultivation Associations and Pilot Projects, adjacent to the university-level research being conducted. In Europe, Switzerland and the Netherlands have already succeeded with these projects.
But international trade occurs only on a medical level, which is where foreign interest comes into play.
New Markets
Off the hop, I’ll say the auditorium at the Berlin Estrel Hotel was an excellent setting for panels, and the high turnout speaks to the cannabis space ablaze! European decision-makers benefit from watching the first movers – observing what works and what doesn’t – while global traders capitalize on points of entry into new medical markets. Of course, each market is unique geographically and politically, but constant nuance and the data points to prove it go a long way in a nascent industry filled with curious and creative minds. This is the state cannabis fosters in people.
Discussions about global trade (hemp included), EU GMP, genetics, and grow tech dominated. Canadian voices heard included top growers and tissue culture experts, the CEOs of LPs and regulatory moguls. Of note: a poignant statement made by Deepak Anand about the broad classification of the new term cannabis export for “scientific purposes,” set to change the game for Canada and other export markets.
Medical, pharmaceutical, research, and education, if Canadian producers aren’t already in Europe to some degree capitalizing on cannabis trade, they’re making arrangements. Including in partnerships with the Canucks who are.
Canadian Weed Stays Top Shelf
I loved seeing some of Canada’s top growers (Jim Strain, Alex Gauthier), already serving the German market, proudly pick up 28-gram amber glass jars of their own medical flower while visiting Berlin.
I will also say that I overheard conversations in the expo and while standing in line at the beer garden across the street about international players’ procurement of Canadian flower. I saw their excitement, how much it thrilled them to tell their friends.
It makes me wonder: Is Quebec weed the best in the world? Could it still be the Emerald Triangle or BC Bud? It depends on who you ask. But Canadian cannabis, shaped by an industry in a constant state of refinement, produces a prized product coveted overseas.
More than one delegate I spoke to said they’ve shifted focus away from the Canadian market due to market failures and regulatory friction. It seems all eyes are now on Europe, mirroring North America in the 2010s.
Cannabis Genetics
There are currently three Licensed Producers in Germany, and home growers have free rein (within reason) to instigate the search for seeds and genetics. Interestingly, seeds can only be imported into Germany.
When discussing genetics, Big League’s Dave Auger said, “Seeds are a little bit like lottery tickets.” And when it comes to the timing needed to grow out a specific genetic, ideally, he’d like a year to plan and test new phenos. Alex Gauthier of Origine Nature would prefer two to five years to curate the genetic selection responsible for the “biological aspect” of his operation. It takes time to make the right selection, mistakes can be very costly, and environment is everything. So even if you have your magic beans, they must be grown properly.
Producers must know their genetics and their markets, such as the difference between British Columbia and Quebec or Canada vs. Germany. Other important questions to ask include the different life cycles of cultivars from a recreational perspective compared to a medical or true pharmaceutical grade product (less rotation).
According to VP of Sales Matthew Don-Carolis, Canadian Tissue Culture company Segra International is now shipping clean, curated stock to 16 countries. This confirms the global hunt for consistent, high-yielding plants that never compromise weight or terps.
Pilot Projects
Germany’s legislation allows for pilot projects where consumers can purchase limited quantities from licensed cannabis shops as part of formal research studies. These trials occur on a small municipal scale of at least 2,000 people, explains Daniel Hübner, Senior Science Manager at Humboldt University of Berlin’s Cannabis Research Lab.
Switzerland has already rolled out similar programs involving 1-5,000 participants and has reduced barriers to access to avoid deterring users through a lengthy application process, pushing them back toward the illicit market.
From a naturalistic perspective, “people become part of a study by going into a shop,” says Finn Hänsel, CEO & Founder of Sanity Group. “Not through a complicated regulatory channel.”
The studies gather data through surveys while assessing evolving public opinion around cannabis.
These projects differ from university research by leveraging the retail ecosystem, including budtender training. However, customer data is not accessible to retailers, and they must instead be consulted through institutions. These projects ideally aim for 10,000 people per municipality and are funded by store sales.
Deepak Anand, Principal at ASDA Consultancy Services, noted that Europe’s legalization models may follow paths already explored in Canada. The country has had its share of market failures, though we can expect some similarities from a public health and policy perspective.
Also discussed was the question surrounding the age of access in relation to brain development in young people. Do users need to be 21 and over? Not likely.
On Departure
Back on the ICBC show floor, one company that caught my eye was CBD RVK. Not because I recognized it from work (or the pretty green banner), but from a layover in Iceland where I’d seen their branding at the airport. The founder, Arthur, shared how he started the company after witnessing his wife’s illness go into remission. “CBD brought back my beautiful, vibrant wife,” he said. That was all the reason he needed.
The last ICBC I attended was in Vancouver in June 2018 – the one with Henry Rollins. He didn’t consume cannabis, but he spoke out against incarceration for its use. During our interview, I remember him musing about trying a gummy someday “for a more pain-free existence,” and that stuck with me. He also made a crack about the ridiculousness of him “hurling his tax dollars” at the system just to pay for these guys’ “cheese sandwiches” in prison.
Maybe that’s why I’m still in this space. Because for so many, this plant holds such deep personal meaning, and I always get to talk to new and exciting people. They tell me their stories – about their pain and their triumphs – and it’s those tales of resilience and rebellion. That’s enough for me.
