Thousands of French medical cannabis patients have been given a temporary reprieve, enabling them to continue accessing their treatment for another six months. Amid the continued political chaos in the country, participants in France’s medical cannabis ‘experiment,’ which is now entering its fifth year, faced an [...]

Written by Ben Stevens and Sarah Sinclair.  You can read Part 1 here.  Growing demand for medical cannabis across Europe Medical cannabis demand across Europe has seen substantial growth, particularly following the regulatory changes in Germany. Ukraine’s Health Minister, Viktor Liashko, visited Germany this year as [...]

Written by Ben Stevens and Sarah Sinclair.    2024 has been a dramatic year for the global cannabis industry, seeing both historic steps forward and concerning regressions in both attitudes and policy.  It was a year dominated by elections, with around half of the world’s population [...]

In a new study researchers explored whether CBD can reduce scan-related anxiety in patients with advanced breast cancer. The findings showed that while CBD did not significantly change scan-related anxiety when compared to a placebo, it was safe and resulted in significantly lower overall anxiety levels [...]

Via Business of Cannabis French patient associations have warned that medical cannabis patients could soon face a disruption in treatment as its long-running experiment comes to an end with no next steps in place. The French Society for the Study and Treatment of Pain (SFETD) issued [...]

From April 2025, Dutch coffee shops will only be permitted to sell regulated cannabis products, as the next phase of the country’s adult-use pilot gets underway. One year on from the launch of the Netherlands’ Closed Coffee Shop Chain Experiment, regulators have set a fixed date [...]

Jazz Pharmaceuticals has shared new data to support the efficacy of Epidiolex in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).  Research shared at the American Epilepsy Society (AES) 2024 Annual Meeting held from 6-10 December in Los Angeles, California supports the use of Epidiolex in the treatment [...]

MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) has secured FDA clearance to conduct a clinical trial examining the use of smoked cannabis for the treatment of PTSD symptoms among veterans. After three years of negotiation, the FDA has given MAPS the green light to carry out a [...]

Thousands more doctors in the Czech Republic will soon be permitted to prescribe medical cannabis under a new decree published by the Ministry of Health. From April 2025, the country’s 5,000 general practitioners will be permitted to prescribe medical cannabis to patients with chronic pain, following [...]

Via Business of Cannabis UK-based biotech firm Ananda Developments has solidified its position as a driving force in clinical cannabis research in Europe, announcing the launch of two more major trials using its proprietary compounds. Last month, Business of Cannabis reported that two long-awaited NHS clinical trials to [...]

Researchers from the Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh have co-authored a new review paper highlighting the potential of CBD in the treatment of endometriosis. The new paper, published in the top-ranking journal Trends in Pharmacological Science (TIPS), finds that CBD is a [...]

A newly-obtained report by France’s Directorate General of Health (DGS) evaluating the impact of the medical cannabis pilot, recommended the roll out of a temporary  regulatory framework last year. The Union of Industrialists for the Valorization of Hemp Extracts (UIVEC) in France says the report, dated [...]

Representatives from five European countries, as well as the European Union Drug Agency (EUDA), met in Germany last week to discuss the regulation of cannabis for non-medical purposes.  European leaders from Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands and Czech Republic attended an international ministerial exchange in Germany to [...]

Via Business of Cannabis Denmark’s six-year medical cannabis pilot scheme could soon be expanded into a fully legalised market, following a surprise announcement from the government last week. The Danish pilot scheme has been running since 2018, and has continued to expand in both scope and [...]

Luxembourg is set to restrict access to high-THC cannabis flower on prescription from next year, as part of longer term plans to phase out flower-based products altogether. As of January 2025, patients in Luxembourg will no longer be able to access cannabis flower containing high levels [...]

New research has found no association between long-term cannabis use and cognitive decline in later life.  Longitudinal data published in the journal Brain and Behavior, found no significant harmful effects of cannabis use on age-related cognitive decline.  Researchers in Denmark examined the relationship between lifetime cannabis [...]

Via Business of Cannabis Mere hours after the results of the US election became clear, sending North American cannabis stocks into free fall, Germany’s ruling traffic light coalition all but collapsed, throwing the future of Europe’s largest and most promising cannabis market into uncertain territory. On [...]

Lifetime cannabis use is associated with several changes in brain structure and function in later life, suggests an observational study, but these associations may not be causal. This is according to researchers who conducted a genetic analysis of data from over 15,000 cannabis consumers in the [...]

A new study is the first to provide objective evidence that cannabinol (CBN) can improve sleep without any intoxicating effects.  Research by scientists at the University of Sydney is the first to use objective measures to show the component, known as cannabinol (CBN), increases sleep in [...]

The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Drugs Use has published its interim report into the recommendations of Ireland’s landmark Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use, coming out strongly in favour of decriminalisation. Established earlier this year to further scrutinise the recommendations of the Citizens Assembly, the specialist committee was given until [...]

New findings have identified a significant decline in the percentage of US adolescents reporting current cannabis use over the last decade.  The study, published in the journal Pediatric Reports, reveals that in 2011, 23.1% of adolescents indicated they were current users, but by 2021, this figure [...]

Events will take place at several major cities around the UK to raise awareness and bring medical cannabis education directly to the public.  Patient advocates will visit Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Cardiff and London throughout Medical Cannabis Awareness Week (1-7 November), to share their personal experiences and [...]

Approaching the sixth anniversary of the legalisation of medical cannabis in the UK, private prescriptions are on the rise, but broader awareness among professionals and the public still lags behind. After almost six years of medical cannabis being available on prescription in the UK, the numbers [...]

Prescribing medical cannabis for chronic pain could save the NHS almost £4 billion annually, according to new research. The findings come from an independent economic analysis of medical cannabis for the treatment of chronic pain, undertaken by York Health-Economics Consortium at the University of York.  Researchers [...]

The majority of doctors in Germany can now prescribe medical cannabis for reimbursement without securing prior approval of the health insurance companies. It comes amid reports suggesting the German pharmacies are now key beneficiaries of the medical cannabis market, bringing in tens of thousands of euros [...]

UK medical cannabis experts have published a comprehensive review of evidence for the prescription of cannabis-based medicines in epilepsy. With over 280 references to peer-reviewed literature, Medical Cannabis & Epilepsy, published by Maple Tree Consultants, provides the first review of nearly 100 clinical trials, real-world studies, and [...]

By Sarah Sinclair with additional reporting from Ben Stevens (Business of Cannabis) Researchers say they are working to get two long-awaited NHS clinical trials underway to investigate the role of cannabis-based medicines in severe forms of epilepsy. The first significant update on the trials—first promised in [...]

Ukraine’s Ministry of Health has approved the draft list of conditions for which medical cannabis can now be prescribed, excluding PTSD and other mental health disorders until more research is available. The impact of trauma and PTSD following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine played a key role [...]

The THC-based drug dronabinol has been shown to reduce agitation in Alzheimer’s patients without adverse effects. Researchers have shown that a pill form of the drug dronabinol, an FDA-approved synthetic version of THC, reduces agitation in patients with Alzheimer’s by an average of 30%. The researchers [...]

Spanish regulators have taken another step towards introducing the country’s long-delayed medical cannabis framework, but patients say the legislation does not go far enough. On Monday 30 September, the Ministry of Health published a draft royal decree for public hearing, setting out the proposed regulations for [...]

Drug policy experts are calling for national education programs to tackle the lack of awareness and ‘stigmatising attitudes’ towards medical cannabis patients. In a new paper, researchers from Liverpool John Moores University, have highlighted how current policies, and a lack of training for professionals, are contributing [...]

A large percentage of people in their 50s and older have consumed at least one form of cannabis in the past year, a new US poll shows. According to new findings from the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging, 21% of people aged 50 [...]

A new study, funded by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse, found no association between long-term medical cannabis use and changes in brain function related to memory, reward or self-control. The study is thought to be among the first to examine long-term brain differences among [...]

Via Newsweed While the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines (ANSM) assured at the beginning of the year that cannabis-based treatments would be available by 2025, it will be difficult to achieve widespread use of medical cannabis in France before 2026. In order to [...]

A new survey following the landmark law change in Germany has revealed that the majority of people consuming cannabis are doing so for health issues. Frankfurt- based medical cannabis company Bloomwell GmbH conducted a representative survey exploring the reasons why Germans use cannabis following the change [...]

UK landlords, property managers, and housing associations are currently at risk of breaching the Equality Act over their approach to prescription cannabis, according to a new report. The new report by the Cannabis Industry Council (CIC) urges housing providers to support tenants who may be prescribed [...]

UK medical cannabis providers, Leva Clinic and Zerenia Clinic, have announced a new merger to improve treatment options available to patients with chronic pain. The partnership combines Leva Clinic’s expertise in pain management with Zerenia’s holistic healthcare approach, offering patients across the UK greater access to [...]

A new study offers more insights into the complex relationship between prenatal cannabis exposure and neuropsychiatric outcomes in children.  As the global trend toward cannabis legalisation continues, the prevalence of cannabis use among pregnant women is on the rise, raising concerns about its impact on foetal [...]

A new study has demonstrated how daily administration of cannabidiol (CBD), can extend lifespan and improve symptoms associated with Leigh syndrome.  Leigh syndrome is a rare and severe mitochondrial disease affecting around one in 40,000 children and young people. There are currently no approved treatments for the [...]

CBD suppositories have been found to significantly reduce the frequency and severity of menstrual pain compared to traditional painkillers. A new study published in Nature Partner Journal: Women’s Health is the first to examine the impact of a ‘real-world’ commercially-available, high-CBD suppository on menstrual-related pain and [...]

The number of exposures to Delta 8-THC increased by 79% from 2021 to 2022, with reports ‘significantly lower’ in states with access to legal cannabis.  Recent years have seen a rapid increase in the availability of synthetic cannabinoids with similar effects to the naturally-occurring Delta-9 THC.  [...]

A new peer-reviewed study is one of the first to examine medical cannabis use among those under the age of 21 in the United States.  The findings show that under-21 patients are accessing medicinal cannabis for most of the same reasons as adults – with almost [...]

A new study, based on the experiences of endometriosis patients in Europe, has found cannabis to have a significant impact on wellbeing and quality of life, leading to ‘substantial improvements’ in symptoms. Researchers surveyed over 900 patients based in Germany, Switzerland and Austria about their use [...]

Long-term treatment with THC has been found to have cognition enhancing and anti-ageing effects, according to new research.  Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn together with a team from Hebrew University (Israel) have demonstrated in animal studies that a low-dose, [...]

Last week, Ukraine’s law officially legalising medical cannabis came into effect, eight months after initially being passed. Despite the positive progress, the list of diseases for which it will be prescribed, currently being decided upon by the Ministry of Health, does not yet include Post-Traumatic Stress [...]

An incident on board a British Airways flight has sparked further calls for police and other organisations to be better informed of medical cannabis laws. The British Airways flight travelling from London City Airport to Amsterdam on 28 June, was grounded for hours by armed police [...]