BVCW PUBLISHES POSITION PAPER ON SUPPLY CHAINS AND PRODUCTION CONDITIONS
Berlin, 06/27/2022 – The framework conditions for the regulated supply of cannabis are currently being prepared. Should the cannabis be grown in Germany or imported? Should it only be allowed to be grown in closed facilities, as with medical cannabis, or in open fields, as with industrial hemp?
The cannabis economy has now made recommendations on this in a new position paper:
- Imports or German cultivation
The cannabis economy advocates the creation of a regulatory framework that allows market access for products from German cultivation, as well as the import of products from countries with comparable quality standards. In order to facilitate cultivation in Germany, funding options should be created and framework conditions defined as soon as possible. - Cultivation options and production standards
Cultivation should be allowed in closed buildings (“indoor”), in greenhouses and also in fields (“outdoor”). For the production standards, the BvCW recommends an orientation towards already existing international standards, which should be adapted to the needs of the German stimulant market for cannabis in a way that is friendly to medium-sized companies. Adoption of the existing requirements for medicinal cannabis (GMP, GACP) should be avoided, as the level of detail and the associated costs appear excessive for the intended use. - Creation of planning and investment security
In view of the lead times required to build up production capacities, it is important to establish the framework conditions at an early stage in order to create planning security and to be able to serve the market comprehensively during this legislative period.
Dirk Heitepriem, vice president and department coordinator for recreational cannabis regulation at the BvCW, clarifies:
“To make the stimulant market successful in competition with the black market, three things are needed as a first step: Sufficient product quantities of high quality, a competitive price and availability in both urban and rural areas. In this paper, BvCW focuses on the framework necessary for business to provide sufficient high-quality product to launch the market.”
The expert hearings at the Drug Commissioner’s Office are entering their final round this week. “As an industry representative, we are bringing in workable proposals for building a German cannabis economy with safe quality conditions, consumer protection and sufficient product diversity. We expect quick orientation points from the federal government so that investments can be planned and cultivation areas can be sought for the domestic market. At the same time, it must be ensured that overregulation is avoided,” says Jürgen Neumeyer, managing director of the BvCW.
The position paper on supply chains and production conditions can be found as ELEMENTS Volume 24 here.
Further documents on the regulatory discussion:
ELEMENTE Vol. 23: Position Paper on Prevention & Risk Minimization
ELEMENTE Vol. 22: Cannabis Regulation – Collection of mistakes and lessons learned from other countries
ELEMENTE Vol. 20: Key issues paper on stimulant regulation – Towards a German cannabis agenda