Sale of locally grown cannabis, exports in Denmark expected as soon as summer

Five companies in Denmark have applied for licenses to sell and export medical cannabis so far, putting the country on track to see its first cross-border shipment to key European Union markets as early as late summer.

Authorization to sell medical cannabis products cultivated and produced in Denmark is going to be key to lowering costs for local patients – who currently rely on pricey imports – and then initiating exports to European markets such as Germany.

As of Feb. 22, 2019, five companies had applied to serve as authorized cannabis bulk manufacturers.

They are:

  • Aurora Nordic (subsidiary of Aurora Cannabis)
  • Medican
  • Medical Cannabis Denmark
  • Schroll Medical (partnership with Aphria)
  • Spectrum Cannabis Denmark (subsidiary of Canopy Growth)

Rikke Jakobsen, CEO of Cannabis Denmark, a nongovernmental organization, said a bulk manufacturing license is a key hurdle any company must overcome before commencing domestic sales and exports.

“Every company needs to deliver products to the Danish market before they can export,” she said.

Another step to getting products to consumers in Denmark, and eventually beyond, is authorization to be an intermediate product manufacturer of medical marijuana.

So far, Aurora Nordic, CannGros Aps, Spectrum Cannabis and Stenocare have achieved this step.

An executive order to implement bulk cannabis exports from Denmark went into force Jan. 1, but to date, no company has satisfied the regulatory requirements.

In 2018, the first year of Denmark’s medical marijuana trial program, 411 MMJ prescriptions were filed for 227 patients in the first quarter, rising to 1,329 prescriptions for 765 patients by the fourth quarter.