The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices’s (BfArM)so-called Cannabis Agency will choose between 79 bidders from growers by the end of June, the agency said on Monday.
In order to assure a local supply, the agency will be giving out grower contracts for 10,400 kilograms (22,928 pounds) of pot over the next four years. The agency declined to name the bidders, according to Reuters.
Before Germany’s medical marijuana laws were relaxed in 2017, patients who suffered from certain diseases, like multiple sclerosis, cancer or chronic pain, could only use cannabis – and this required they apply for a medical exemption from (BfArM). This means that all medical cannabis is being imported from the Netherlands and Canada, according to Bloomberg.
With Germany looking for its first local harvest to occur sometime in 2020, the agency said it will not apply any legal restrictions on foreign imports. Pharmacies and producers will still be allowed to buy from foreign producers – but BfArM’s tender requirements will ensure a high-quality native supply is also available, said Maik Pommer, a spokesman for the drugs agency.
“It’s about ensuring the security of the supply,” Pommer said. He wouldn’t comment on where the main growing regions will be, though the contracts are being given out in 200-kilogram lots to make them accessible for small growers.
One thing is evident today – Canada has liberalized the marijuana industry completely.
