In January 2018, Denmark introduced a trial scheme concerning medicinal cannabis. At the same time, a development scheme was introduced for the purpose of ensuring legal growing of cannabis suited for the trial scheme or the manufacturing of medicinal products.
This means that companies that wish to manufacture medicinal cannabis in Denmark must apply for a licence from the Danish Medicines Agency to grow and handle cannabis for the purpose of developing cannabis suited for medicinal use.
However, the Danish Medicines Agency has a number of requirements for growing of cannabis in Denmark which may be very challenging and disproportionately demanding to meet.
Danish medicines agency approves company in Funen for manufacturing of medicinal cannabis
Recently, the Danish Medicines Agency granted its first licence to manufacture medicinal cannabis in Denmark for the purpose of sale and export. The licence was granted to a company in Funen - Spectrum Cannabis - which has been a part of the Danish Medicines Agency’s development scheme concerning growing and handling of medicinal cannabis since the scheme was introduced.
The licence was granted based on the development scheme, which will expire at the end of 2021, but which may perhaps become a permanent scheme. The licence means that, in a few months, Danish cannabis will come on the Danish market if all proceeds as planned.
So far, it has been difficult to predict whether medicinal cannabis is potentially a substantial financial gain as the scheme will expire in less than three years.
It is expected that more companies will obtain licences to grow medicinal cannabis for the purpose of sale and export. But these companies still have to meet the Danish Medicines Agency’s strict requirements.