Newsmaker: Anna-Sophia Kouparanis

Anna-Sophia Kouparanis, 28, wears many hats; being on the Forbes 30 under 30 list this year is one of them.

In 2019, Kouparanis founded  Ilios Santé and came to be known “as the first woman in Germany to be a licensed wholesaler for cannabis,” Forbes reports.

Then came Bloomwell Group a year later. A holding company that invests and builds other companies in the healthcare sector, Bloomwell also includes Algea Care, a telemedicine company for cannabis.Her goal is to “revolutionize the pharmaceutical industry through natural medicines and digitization, which is long overdue,”  Forbes  reports.

The news has been rumbling for a week after a German language magazine first reported the news. Now it is official. Germany will be legalizing recreational use cannabis as early as 2022.

Even the most die-hard “medical only” German voices within the cannabis industry have been posting the news all over their social media including LinkedIn for the past week, even before the news was official. But as of Wednesday, that has changed, officially. The new so-called “Traffic Light Coalition” will indeed be legalizing recreational use cannabis with a bill to do so introduced in the German Bundestag next year.

Party leaders in Germany’s incoming government coalition have reached an agreement to legalize marijuana nationwide.

The legalization legislation is expected to be introduced during the upcoming legislative session. It will also provide broader drug harm reduction services and restrict advertising of tobacco and alcohol, along with cannabis.

As it stands, personal possession of marijuana is decriminalized in Germany, and there is a medical cannabis program in place. But this forthcoming proposal would seek to establish a regulated market for adult-use marijuana.

Legalising cannabis could bring Germany annual tax revenues and cost savings of about 4.7 billion euros ($5.34 billion) and create 27,000 new jobs, a survey said on Tuesday as politicians thrash out rules for the budding sector.

Legalising cannabis could bring Germany annual tax revenues and cost savings of about 4.7 billion euros ($5.34 billion) and create 27,000 new jobs, a survey said on Tuesday as politicians thrash out rules for the budding sector. Chancellor-in-waiting Olaf Scholz and his centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) are in talks with the environmentalist, pro-spending Greens and the libertarian, business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) to build a three-way coalition.

The German process is unlike anything foreigners have ever experienced before—with twists and turns at every step that frequently defy logic.

The German medical cannabis market is one of the largest in the world. Indeed, as of 2021, it is not only the largest market in Europe, but also responsible for driving cultivation plans across many sunnier and lower labor cost locales. This is true of both countries in the European Union (EU) and further flung spots, all hoping to export cannabis to a country, which so far has not, by design, been able to domestically source the medical cannabis consumed in the country. 

All well and good—but this is the good news. 

Automaker BMW Group is looking to slash the carbon emissions of making and using its cars – and hemp may play a larger role.

BMW has been using hemp for some years, for example in the lining of door panels of its electric i3. This isn’t just a warm and fuzzy tree-hugger thing to attract the eco-savvy consumer; but also plays a (small) role in lightening the vehicle.

It looks like hemp and other plant materials might be getting more of a look in, with the company stating it is stepping up its fight against climate change and will drastically reduce CO2 per vehicle by 2030.

One of the strategies is the increased use of natural materials over petrochemical ones.

German customs officers announced Tuesday they found a record 2.3 million cannabis seeds during cargo checks at Cologne/Bonn airport.

Airport workers discovered the seeds in four containers of 50 kilograms each on May 30, 2021. They were headed to Lithuania from the US, where cannabis is legal in various states.

The discovery could only be revealed on Tuesday because of ongoing investigations and operations after the seizure, Cologne's customs offices said.

The contraband cargo touched down at Cologne/Bonn airport in transit, en route from the US to Lithauania

Although the German Federal Government legalized medical cannabis only in 2017, its approach to release licenses and the large demand created an attractive market for well-established medical cannabis companies.

For the first time in modern German history, homegrown medical cannabis is being sold to local pharmacies. Although enthusiasts have lauded the milestone, doubts remain about pot's business case in the country.

Long term the nascent German cannabis sector promises to be a growth industry, but it's not going to be quick, easy or cheap

After the legalization of medical marijuana in Germany in 2017, there has been a surge in interest from both patients who may benefit from cannabinoids and companies that produce and sell the drug.

Patients who meet the criteria for medicinal cannabis use and have failed to respond to traditional medicine will now expect to receive cannabis-based medications, though marijuana products are still out of reach for those looking to use them recreationally.

We will discuss some main points about the legal and political status of cannabis in Germany.