Europe

France has taken a key step toward legalizing medical cannabis by formally notifying the European Commission of its plans to legalize and regulate the practice.

An adult-use cannabis legalization proposal in Switzerland has advanced from a parliamentary commission and will be considered by the full legislative body.

Canada-based Aurora Cannabis has announced the launch of IndiMed, its first line of medical cannabis products grown and manufactured in Germany, which is the latest EU member state to adopt cannabis legalization policies.

Nearly 60% of German citizens support the broad legalization of adult-use cannabis, according to a recent poll. Cannabis is currently legal for adults to possess and consume but the country stopped short of establishing a regulated marketplace.

A study published this month that followed more than 5,000 men over 44 years found that long-term cannabis use is not associated with IQ decline in older adults.

Italy’s conservative leadership is planning to crack down on the country’s nascent — and already highly restricted — cannabis industry by banning products made from hemp flower, the industry’s only real source of cannabinoids.

Ukrainian health officials have released the list of conditions that will qualify patients for the country’s new medical cannabis program.

Ukraine’s medical cannabis legalization policy took effect last Friday as the country continues to defend itself against the aggression of neighboring Russia. Under the new policy, military veterans with PTSD and cancer patients are allowed access to medical cannabis products.

Voters in Slovenia last weekend approved two non-binding cannabis measures: one to legalize adult-use cannabis, and another to let medical cannabis patients grow their own cannabis plants at home.

Adults in Germany will be allowed to possess and cultivate cannabis starting April 1 after lawmakers gave their final approval to the country’s cannabis legalization proposal last week.

After much anticipation, Germany became the third EU country to legalize adult-use cannabis following a decisive vote in the Bundestag, marking a significant shift in drug policy and setting a precedent that may influence other EU nations.

Ukrainian lawmakers have passed a groundbreaking bill to legalize medical cannabis, a significant step towards providing relief for patients with cancer and PTSD, awaiting President Volodymyr Zelensky’s anticipated signature.

Five years after the United Kingdom legalized medical cannabis products for use on the National Health Service (NHS), the government still has not funded the trials that would allow physicians to prescribe cannabis products.

The first legal — albeit experimental — cannabis dispensary in Europe received final approval last week from Swiss regulators; the dispensary was approved as part of a study on the retail of adult-use cannabis.

London-based Beckley Waves — a psychedelics startup incubator focused on therapies, education, and software — has raised $3.3 million in seed funding.

The Cabinet of Germany on Wednesday passed a bill to legalize the adult use and cultivation of cannabis; the measure still requires approval from parliament.

Albania’s Parliament voted 69-23 last week to legalize medical cannabis and industrial hemp but the law focuses primarily on product exports, rather than establishing a domestic market.

The Ukraine Parliament gave initial approval this week to a medical cannabis legalization proposal. The law still could see additional amendments and must pass a second reading before heading to President Volodymyr Zelensky for his signature.

Luxembourg this week became the second European Union member nation to legalize adult-use cannabis. Under the new law, adults can home-grow up to four cannabis plants and publicly possess up to three grams of cannabis flower.