Dutch newspaper Telegraaf reported earlier this month that exportation of medical cannabis from the Netherlands is looking very likely to increase due primarily to increases in demand fueled by the burgeoning market for medical marijuana in Germany. The Netherlands currently exports medical cannabis to Canada, the Czech Republic, Italy, Finland and Germany for medical use, scientific research, and importation and exportation of cannabis resins.
The English language news website Dutch News reports:
The current export limit is 100 kilos but this will soon be increased 350 kilos and go up again to 700 kilos in 2019, the Telegraaf said.Until now, the production of medical marijuana has cost more than is reaped in sales but the increase in exports will generate cash for the treasury, the Telegraaf said.Medical marijuana is not an official medicine in the Netherlands and is not included in the basic health insurance policy.
Obviously the Dutch have long been known as a major international destination of cannabis liberty, with their quasi-legal and highly tolerant policies regarding the plant. Indeed the Netherlands has been growing cannabis for medical purposes since 2001 through its Cannabis Bureau agency.
In the United States there are five categories, or schedules, in which regulated drugs are placed. Those drugs which fall into the “Schedule I” category are considered to have absolutely no medical value and are absolutely forbidden. Cannabis, along with a few other substances such as heroin and LSD, fall into this group. Unsurprisingly the Dutch take a much easier approach, in which drugs fall into two basic categories “hard drugs” and “soft drugs”. Recognizing that scientific research always yields new information, their policy allows for exemptions to be granted to certain agencies to study substances in the “hard drugs” category.
The country’s Cannabis Bureau has received such an exemption and through this government agency, oversees five licensed brands in the Dutch market, which are then sold in pharmacies. Those brands are all produced through one company called Bedrocan, working under contract for the Dutch Ministry of Health.
There is no doubt that things are moving forward at a rapid pace in Europe on the medical cannabis front. As the United States and world progress toward a legal international cannabis market, it will be interesting to see how the more capitalist-leaning United States will compete on the market with more long-established government-run programs.
The International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) in Berlin, Germany, on April 10-12, 2017, will be the best place to begin to answer those questions. Cannabis experts from around the globe will be in attendance and creating the future of the marijuana world. You won’t want to miss it!
