The legalization of recreational cannabis for adults is on the agenda of the new ruling coalition in Germany. The magazine “We, the Europeans” (replay) visited the premises of the very first German cannabis producer, a recent and hyper-secure factory. For the moment, the harvest is intended for the medical sector, but this future consumer market obviously interests this company. Three companies have obtained the license authorizing them to cultivate cannabis in the country.
Demecan, the only German company selected by the authorities, launched production in the fall of 2021 in greenhouses located in a former slaughterhouse. The company already has 70 employees and does not intend to stop there: “Everything is above ground and the pots contain glass wool. It’s a sterile environment and there can’t be any infections coming from the earth. We feed the plant individually through pipes”, explains co-founder and managing director Constantin Von der Groeben.
“With legalization, everyone wins”
“Medical cannabis was already an important market for us, but recreational cannabis offers much broader horizons, he rejoices. It is ten times, a hundred times more important and it is true for all the players in the sector. For the moment, there is consultation with the government to manage this in a reasoned way. At first, we wondered whether to legalize or not. Now the debate is how to do this properly. With legalization, everyone wins. Cannabis is already there, but it is sold illegally on the black market. This must and can change if we regulate all this intelligently.”
What does he think of the fact that countries in Europe oppose legalization? “Cannabis is a drug and shouldn’t be allowed, but when countries have taken precautions in the medical cannabis market, it has worked. It’s a drug with narcotic effects, you have to be careful, but there is a real interest, not only for patients, doctors, the health system, but also for the government, from an economic point of view. Cannabis has its place in the medical market. makes sense to go further and allow recreational cannabis.”
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