Czech government triples limit value for industrial hemp

In a move that is expected to underpin new demands for comprehensive cannabis reform at European level, Czech President Miloš Zeman signed a law in the last week of September that would allow the industrial hemp grown in the country to have a THC level of 1 To have 0 percent.

This means that the current limit set by the European Parliament last autumn as a regional benchmark will be exceeded (from 0.2 percent to 0.3 percent), but this change will only take effect at EU level in 2023.

Regardless, such a change comes at a very interesting time for the entire cannabis, if not hemp, discussion across Europe. Other provisions of the new Czech law will also stir up the discussion about access to cannabinoid drugs. Licensed private groups are allowed to manufacture medical cannabis products.

This, in turn, may not only affect the Czech Republic, but every country across the EU that is now looking for cheaper cannabis products (starting, but not limited to, Flos and Extract). Indeed, with this move, the Czech Republic could position itself as the main competitor for North Macedonia in terms of pricing – and certainly what’s on the way in Portugal as well. It will also create an alternative and much cheaper labor market than Denmark.

For countries starting with Poland, this can also be a boon to the whole discussion about access, where patients simply do not have access to medicines they can afford.

It could also move the discussion in countries like Italy, which are also starting a new discussion on the decriminalization of cannabis and other medicinal plants like psilocybin – and which have already allowed home cultivation.

What is currently legal in the Czech Republic?

The cultivation of medicinal cannabis has been legal in the country since 2013, but so far only a few, larger breeders have been licensed. Czechs are also allowed to grow up to five plants at home – it’s technically decriminalized, although it can be punished with a fine – but many hope the Pirate Party currently ranks third in the run-up to the national elections in October will be able to not just to win, but, as promised, to welcome a sea of ​​changes in the country’s cannabis policy.

Whether the pirates win is one thing. Notwithstanding further changes in the country’s cannabis policy after the elections, the Czech Republic is once again taking an initial stand on an important issue in the industry that will stimulate, if not encourage, further reforms elsewhere.

In view of the renewed call for “leisure processes” that are sprouting up all over Europe (and are being pushed even further by the recent German elections last weekend), a similar process cannot be ruled out in CR in the next few years.

The export discussion

Currently, the medicinal cannabis produced in the country is intended for domestic consumption. This is a unique situation in Europe as most of the cultivation after 2017 is mainly for export (and to Germany). As a result, medical cannabis does not have to meet GMP certification within the country, which makes it significantly cheaper to grow than in other parts of the EU.

The sale of medical cannabis has grown exponentially in recent years. Last year, patients received nearly 70 kg – a dramatic increase from 2019, when the official dose figures showed only 17 kg.

The Czech GMP discussion is also one of the most interesting in the EU. Until the domestically grown cannabis is GMP certified, farmers cannot export it to other European medical markets. However, a massive increase in domestic production and medical consumption can be expected.

As a result, the Czech Republic, like Portugal, could become one of the countries in the EU where the entire GMP vs. GACP and even medical cannabis discussion is being reviewed. This, in turn, especially in the face of a rising barrage of demands for at least recreational attempts in several countries, can further confuse the issue rather than clarify it.

So far, this certification has been the highest hurdle that companies have had to overcome – starting with the procurement of financing for the cultivation or dismantling at this level.

With a medical-only market in the region, no one has challenged the same – at least directly – though all of the major Canadian companies in the room have repeatedly butted their toes on the issue.

Now that leisure testing is emerging, the certification question, which seemed so uniform, can also be questioned – albeit on a country-by-country basis.

Reforms of the most interesting, diverse, and potentially market-moving kinds landed in the EU, if not Europe, this summer – and the new developments in the Czech Republic will undoubtedly go well beyond national borders if the discussion expands, if not finally blooms and blooms .