Aurora Cannabis has shipped medical cannabis to the Italian government, becoming the first non-government supplier to the Italian market. The products were shipped from the Canadian company’s wholly-owned German subsidiary Pedanios GmbH. The products will be distributed through Italian pharmacies.
In January, Aurora and Pedanios won a public tender to supply the Italian government with 100 kilograms of medical cannabis through the Ministry of Defense, who oversees the nation’s medical cannabis program.
“The Italian government has entrusted Aurora as the only direct, foreign non-government supplier to the Department of Defense in response to its first ever public tender to help support the growing demand on its strictly-regulated medical cannabis program. We take this responsibility very seriously, and will be supporting the growing number of patients in the Italian system with high-quality products, as well as educational support initiatives for both the general public and physicians.” – Aurora CEO Terry Booth in a press release
Only Italians suffering from severe conditions can access the program. These conditions include chronic pain; spasms associated with pain, such as those suffering from spinal cord lesions or multiple sclerosis; patients undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and HIV therapies; drug-resistant glaucoma; and Tourette’s syndrome. Additionally, medical cannabis use is permitted in cases that require appetite stimulation, such as cachexia and anorexia, according to the Italian Health Ministry’s guide to medical cannabis dispensing.
Previously, medical cannabis cultivation in Italy was the responsibility of the Italian army. Those products were between 5 percent and 8 percent THC and 7 percent to 12 percent CBD.