Tag Archives: cultivation

Is The Industry In Danger of Losing Its Prized Genetics?

By Michael Kudrewicz
1 Comment
In cannabis, everything begins with genetics. Before lighting, curing, irrigation, or any cultivation technique, there is the seed. And within that seed lives more than chemistry. It holds history, culture, and potential. Genetics are the soul of cannabis. They determine whether a cultivar expresses citrus or earth, calm or clarity, relief or joy. They decide how a plant grows, how it finishes, and how it makes you feel. Unfortunately, many cannabis brands are ignoring genetics, the very foundation of the plant, and are instead chasing high THC percentages. This is an approach that will fail in the long term. Here’s why.

Every cultivar carries its own blueprint, a genetic code that dictates how cannabinoids and terpenes develop, how the plant responds to stress, and what kind of experience it ultimately delivers. When cultivators and consumers focus solely on THC, they flatten that expression. The result is potency without personality; high numbers with low resonance.

Strategic cannabis companies seek cultivars that preserve complexity and depth. For example, landrace and heirloom strains that contain rare cannabinoid combinations and terpene structures work in harmony. These genetics invite the consumer into an experience that unfolds slowly and lingers with intention. It’s not about acceleration. It’s about elevation.

A lower THC percentage combined with a robust terpene profile does not dull the experience; it refines it. These cultivars offer layered effects that feel grounded and personal, supporting mood, focus, creativity, or calm in ways that are both nuanced and enduring. Rather than a sharp spike and sudden drop, properly bred genetics create a high that breathes and evolves over time. This is where cannabis becomes more than a product and transforms into a true experience.

The industry’s fixation on THC has come at a cost. When potency becomes the only goal, terpene diversity diminishes and minor cannabinoids disappear. These compounds are essential to the plant’s character. They drive entourage effects, enhance therapeutic value, and influence how the body and mind respond. High THC without balanced genetics is like turning the volume to ten on one instrument while muting the rest of the band. It’s loud, but not music.

Choosing cannabis should never be about chasing the highest number on a label. It should be about choosing intention. Cultivars with preserved lineage and authentic expression don’t overpower; they meet you where you are and elevate you from within. This approach honors the plant, the cultivator, and the consumer alike.

More people are beginning to realize that cannabis is about more than THC. It is about expression, connection, and the quality of effect. The next chapter of cannabis culture will not be written by percentages but by those who respect genetics and preserve what makes each cultivar unique.

Genetics matter because cannabis is more than a commodity. It is a living lineage, carried forward through cultivation with passion, precision, and purity. Choose strains with a story, flower with roots, and genetics that invite you into the full spectrum of what cannabis can be.

Listen to an interview with the founders of Raven View Genetics on the Innovating Cannabis Podcast. Or watch on YouTube.

International Trade and Cannabis Decontamination Considerations

By Jeff Adams
No Comments

With shifting perceptions, economic incentives, and the evolution of international regulatory frameworks, more countries around the world are starting to embrace legal cannabis for its medical and recreational uses.

One of the hotspots of legalization remains the European Union, where countries like Malta and Luxembourg have legalized cannabis for adult use, and Switzerland and the Netherlands have pilot programs in place. These pilot programs are temporary, limited initiatives that are implemented by a country’s government to test and gather data on the effects of legalizing and regulating the sale of cannabis. Rather than diving headfirst into full-blown adult-use legalization, many nations will take this approach to study the impact different regulatory models can have in a smaller, controlled environment.

As of May 2024, twenty-one of 27 EU states have legalized cannabis for medical use, with one of the most prominent being Germany. After passing the Cannabis Act (CanG) in April 2024, Germany’s medical cannabis industry expanded rapidly as the legislative action improved patient access and removed some administrative burdens for prescribing physicians.

Reliance on Foreign Partners for Optimal Market Growth and Efficiency
As legal cannabis use spreads globally, nations will need to continue to build and rely on partnerships with one another to provide ongoing support for safety and quality assurance and foster symbiotic market growth. For example, Canada legalized cannabis for adult use in 2018. In the years that followed, the country faced challenges due to oversupply. In 2020, Health Canada reported an excess of 600,000 kilograms of unpackaged dry cannabis flower and an additional 46,413 kilograms of packaged flower. To help counteract the buildup of excess product, Canada has now emerged as the largest exporter of medical-grade cannabis to EU states with thriving medical cannabis markets like Germany.

Quality & Safety Controls for Medical Cannabis

To be able to import cannabis for medical purposes into the EU, it must meet stringent rules and regulations for safety and quality control. Contaminated cannabis has the potential to cause harm, especially to medical patients who are immunocompromised or have respiratory conditions. Several types of contaminants can be found in cannabis, including microbial, particulate, and chemical. Microbial contaminants, including bacteria, viruses, yeast, and mold, can be introduced to the product from the environment, raw materials, equipment, or personnel.

Good Agricultural and Collection Practice (GACP)
A first step in quality assurance for medical cannabis is the Good Agricultural and Collection Practice (GACP). GACP provides broad technical guidance on collecting high-quality medicinal plant materials for herbal goods classified as medicines, including medical cannabis. The goals of GACP are to ensure the quality of medicinal plants by providing a broad guide on quality, safety, and efficacy, establishing standard operating procedures, and encouraging and supporting the sustainable cultivation and collection of high-quality plants for medicinal purposes.

European Union-Good Manufacturing Practice (EU GMP) Certification

Developed by regulatory agencies such as Health Canada, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Union-Good Manufacturing Practice (EU GMP) certification is one of the most stringent sets of standards in the international pharmaceutical industry. Regardless of where the cannabis originates from, the product must be GMP-compliant to be sold in the EU.

Under GMP standards, products must be:

  • Of consistent high quality;
  • Appropriate for intended use;
  • Meet the requirements of the marketing association or the clinical trial authorization.

Cannabis must pass regular quality control testing to ensure the product meets the standards for potency, purity, and consistency. The flower must be tested for the presence of microbial contaminants. The goal of a manufacturer following GMP standards is a contamination rate as close to zero as possible. If contaminants are found, the product must be decontaminated and retested, or it risks being rejected and destroyed.

Additional Considerations for Decontamination Tech

Since quality control testing is a significant step in meeting EU GMP compliance, decontamination technology may also play a crucial role in the process. Tech using X-ray, gamma-ray irradiation, ozone gas, or radiofrequency, among others, may be used to decontaminate cannabis of specific microbes.

For example:

  • X-ray decontamination – Highly effective on mold, bacteria, and spores.
  • Gamma-ray irradiation – Highly effective against all microbes, including spores, but can be harmful to the plant because of intense doses.
  • Ozone gas – Effective for mold, mildew, and bacteria. Decontaminates at the surface level only.
  • Radiofrequency – Kills mold, yeast, and bacteria. Has the potential to heat the plant and affect its integrity.

While the technology itself does not need to be EU GMP certified, the decontamination technology and process must be compatible with the EU GMP processes of the cultivator and manufacturer, or risk negating their certification.

My company, XRpure, specializes in producing decontamination systems – our models include the XR16 and the XR12 – that allow X-rays to penetrate through cannabis flower and neutralize microbes while preserving its cannabinoid profile.

We recently announced our company’s expansion into Canada to service cultivators and producers exporting medical cannabis to the EU. We are currently implementing several advancements to our technology to align with EU GMP processes, as well as achieving new milestones to demonstrate compliance with foreign directives.

We are currently implementing several changes to the technology’s user interface, including the addition of user profiles in the software: a user profile, an administrator profile (used to set up new users), and an engineer profile (used to set up new recipes). Additionally, we are currently seeking to obtain the CE mark for electrical safety on our decontamination systems. A CE mark signifies that the manufacturer has declared the product complies with all applicable EU directives for safety, health, and environmental protection.

Depending on the system and the process of the cannabis cultivator or manufacturer, other changes to the technology may be required to comply with their EU GMP processes.

As the global cannabis industry continues to expand, countries will continue to rely on foreign partnerships to foster collaboration, innovation, growth, and support for their burgeoning markets. The EU remains an area for cannabis industry expansion, especially in medical markets such as Germany. To support a large base of medical cannabis patients, Germany relies heavily on import partners like Canada for its supply.

 

For countries seeking to balance growth with safety and compliance, meeting EU GMP and GACP standards is crucial. Technologies like decontamination systems demonstrate how innovation and regulatory oversight can work in tandem to ensure product safety, consistency, and intended use. By continuing to progress alongside evolving international frameworks, the global cannabis industry can achieve sustainable, long-term growth and deliver high-quality products to patients and consumers.

 

 

 

How Does the X-Ray Method Work in Decontamination?

No Comments

As cannabis production scales and testing standards tighten, cultivators face increasing pressure to ensure their products are free from harmful microbes without compromising quality. Decontamination, the process of removing or killing microorganisms, has become a common step in post-harvest processing. Traditional methods come with trade-offs that can alter the plant’s potency, aroma, or appearance.

Until recently, most producers relied on heat-based techniques, such as pasteurization, or surface treatments, including ozone and ultraviolet (UV) light exposure. While effective in food and agriculture, these methods often fail to penetrate dense cannabis flowers, allowing microbes hidden deep inside to survive. Other approaches, such as gamma and electron-beam (E-beam) irradiation, have been used safely in the food industry for decades to sterilize spices, produce, and packaged goods without affecting nutritional quality or taste.

Now, X-ray decontamination is emerging as a promising adaptation of these proven methods for cannabis. The technology penetrates through the entire flower, destroying microbial DNA while leaving cannabinoids and terpenes intact.

 

Jeff Adams, founder of XRPure, explains the process through a simple visual analogy:

“If you imagine a single mold spore as the size of a golf ball,” Adams says, “the DNA strands inside that spore are about the size of a needle. The X-rays, on that same scale, are the size of those needles—they pass through the ‘golf ball’ and target the DNA directly.”

 

Because plant cells are vastly larger on this scale, roughly fifteen feet in diameter, the X-rays pass through them virtually untouched.

 

“They’re targeting only the things that are on their size scale,” he adds, “which makes X-ray particularly effective at killing microbes while leaving the rest of the plant unharmed.”

 

By contrast, chemical or fog-based decontamination methods rely on molecules that interact with terpene and cannabinoid compounds of similar size, raising the risk of chemical reactions that can degrade flavor and aroma. X-ray avoids this issue entirely by working on a different physical scale.

Finally, Adams and his team note that X-ray systems meet the highest FDA safety standards and are sealed to prevent any radiation leakage. Operators don’t require special protective equipment or restricted rooms. “It’s a very safe, simple, and efficient technology,” says Sales Manager Joseph Bancheri, “that’s already built to comply with federal safety protocols if and when national cannabis legalization arrives.”

The Industry Has A Mold Problem

Despite the technology’s promise, decontamination in general is an ongoing debate within the cannabis industry. Some purists argue that remediation of any kind undermines the plant’s natural integrity, insisting that skilled cultivators should be able to grow clean cannabis without relying on post-harvest interventions.

Jeff Adams, founder of XRPure, acknowledges that sentiment but believes X-ray remediation represents a fundamentally different approach from heat or chemical-based methods. “One interesting thing about X-ray,” Adams explains, “is that the wavelength is almost exactly the same size as the DNA strand in a microbe. As it passes through the flower, those DNA strands absorb energy from the X-ray, which breaks them apart and essentially kills the microbe. It’s not a chemical reaction with the plant; it’s literally targeting the microbial DNA.”

That precise mechanism is what makes X-ray decontamination less likely to alter the plant’s terpenes and cannabinoids. “We completely understand the concern about maintaining quality,” Adams says. “Ideally, everyone would grow perfectly clean cannabis. But the reality is that the same environment that’s good for cultivating a plant is also good for growing microbes. Even the best operations in the country struggle with mold and mildew contamination.”

For producers operating at scale, those challenges can be costly. Adams points out that even small microbial contamination can lead to failed lab tests, lost batches, and reputational damage. “We provide a way to address contamination immediately after harvest—before packaging—so the product stays stable and clean on the shelf,” he explains.

Regardless, there’s a stigma. Cannabis that has been “treated” or “remediated” often sells for less, and many growers choose not to disclose the use of decontamination technology. “That’s just the reality of the market right now,” Adams says. “But we believe that clean cannabis is actually better for consumers. No one wants to inhale mold spores, and medical patients can be especially sensitive.”

Interestingly, consumer perception may be shifting. Adams cites a recent survey the company conducted showing that while 90% of respondents wanted transparency about whether a product had been remediated, 56% said they would be more likely to purchase treated cannabis, particularly in the medical market.

Sales Manager Joseph Bancheri adds that skepticism often comes down to scale and economics. “Some of the smaller or legacy-style growers, what I call the ‘tree-hugger naturalists’, don’t want to use any kind of remediation,” he says. “I get it. But if you’re losing 10% of your crop to microbials, that’s a big hit. Once you’re producing 100 pounds or more per month, it starts making sense to have an in-house system or send it out for treatment.”

Bancheri also points out that testing standards vary dramatically by state. Nevada allows up to 10,000 colony-forming units (CFU) per gram of microbial matter, while Illinois caps it at 1,000, and some states go as high as 100,000. “At 10,000 CFU, you’re in a reasonable middle ground,” Adams notes. “It protects medical patients but still allows growers to operate realistically. At 1,000 CFU, it becomes challenging, even for the cleanest facilities.”

Aspergillus, the common black mold sometimes found in household bathrooms, remains the biggest microbial culprit and is strictly prohibited in most states. “It’s airborne, it’s everywhere,” Adams says. “Even a sealed HVAC system can’t completely prevent it. And when you’re inhaling, your lungs don’t have the same defenses your stomach does when you eat contaminated food. That’s why this matters for public health.”

For now, the patchwork of state regulations keeps the debate alive. “Every state is its own island,” Bancheri adds. “Some base their limits on food safety data, others make up their own thresholds. Until there’s federal legalization, it’s going to stay inconsistent.”

Cost vs. Benefits

But for many growers, cost remains the deciding factor. “The biggest complaint out there,” Adams concedes, “is that people don’t want to add one more expense to their production. X-ray technology is more expensive than other remediation methods. But when you look at the numbers, the payback can happen very fast. Cannabis is a valuable product, and your losses can pile up quickly.”

To help make the technology accessible, XRPure offers leasing programs that spread costs across three- or four-year terms, covering both the machine and its maintenance. “That way, you don’t have to come up with a big chunk of money all at once,” Adams says. “For cultivators producing 300 to 400 pounds per month, the math works out—they’re actually saving money. For smaller growers, there are toll processors that can run the service for them, and we’re about to launch a mobile system that can drive right up to your farm, process your flower, and move on to the next.”

While X-ray delivers what Adams calls “the very best decontamination process,” it remains one piece of a broader post-harvest preservation puzzle—from packaging to retail storage. It’s challenging out there, but investing in technology that protects the plant’s integrity and keeps customers coming back can pay off in the long term.

 

Adams adds, “We’re just one piece of the puzzle, but hopefully a helpful one. As the industry moves toward medical markets and stricter standards, clean cannabis will equal quality cannabis. And organizations like ASTM are already laying the groundwork for those federal-level best practices once legalization happens nationwide.”

You can hear Jeff and Joe’s full interview on the Innovating Cannabis Podcast. 

The State Of New York’s Cannabis Industry 2025

By Pam Chmiel
No Comments

Jason Ambrosino, a disabled Army veteran and founder of Veterans Holdings, entered the New York market in 2019 under the state’s hemp program with the goal of cultivating and manufacturing cannabis. But despite holding a 5,000-square-foot indoor cultivation license, he decided not to build out his facility. The reason, he says, is simple: “The registered organizations (ROs) in New York State own the flower industry. They own it. You’re not going to break in.”

Ambrosino explained that the state’s vertically integrated ROs, many of which started as medical operators, dominate the adult-use flower market with massive 100,000-square-foot indoor canopies and the ability to negotiate favorable energy rates. “The number one driver of indoor flower price anywhere is electricity cost,” he said. “Where I am in New York State, it’s 23 cents a kilowatt hour. The ROs can negotiate directly for 7, 8, or 9 cents per kilowatt-hour because of their size. There will never be a day when I can operate in the market alongside them, because it costs me twice as much to grow as it does them.” He said that disparity makes small-scale cultivation unviable for most new entrants.

Ambrosino estimates that it could cost him roughly $600 per pound to grow cannabis, while the ROs can do it for about half that. “You don’t really think about it until you end up paying for a license, only to find out the utility prices are so high that you can’t make it work,” he said.

He believes the state’s adult-use rollout created an illusion of opportunity for small hemp farmers and microbusinesses. “They used the illusion of inclusion to gain public support,” he said. “They built protections that were meant to keep ROs out for three years to create a level playing field, but these protections were stripped away after enough lobbying dollars were spent.”

According to Ambrosino, large operators pressured lawmakers by withholding financial commitments to social equity programs until they received favorable terms. “They held them hostage,” he said. “They told lawmakers, ‘We’re not going to pay you any of that money until you give us a more favorable law.’ So, they changed it.”

The result, he says, is a market where ROs hold most of the canopy, while smaller cultivators face high costs, limited access, and few realistic paths to profitability. “Right now, microbusinesses are structured for failure,” Ambrosino said. “They’re trying to sell flower at $60 when dispensaries can get indoor-grown product from ROs for $30 or $35. You can’t compete with that.”

Mismatched Policy, Manipulated Data, and a Market Set to Run Dry

Ambrosino says the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has failed to recognize the growing imbalance between large registered organizations and small cultivators. “The data OCM puts out is very manipulated and questionable,” he said. “They conflict with what they report from one day to the next. One day, there’s not enough canopy, the next day, there’s too much. It’s all over the place. They’ll show you all the potential canopy of adult-use license holders, but the reality is 80% of them aren’t growing, or they’re only using part of their allotted space. Meanwhile, the ROs are operating at a massive scale.”

He believes this disconnect has led policymakers to think there’s an oversupply problem when in reality there’s a shortage of affordable biomass. “OCM looks at flower canopy, not biomass canopy,” Ambrosino said. “We don’t have enough biomass to produce distillate, and distillate is what sets the price for everything.”

Ambrosino, who sits on the board of the Association of New York Cannabis Processors, says the solution starts with expanding outdoor cultivation. “We’ve been lobbying the state to raise the outdoor cap from one acre to five,” he explained. “They keep saying there’s enough canopy, but that’s not true if you want a functioning processing and manufacturing sector.”

He also believes OCM steered small farmers in the wrong direction. “They convinced these guys to grow indoors when they had no capital to begin with,” he said. “Outdoor grows are cheaper, more sustainable, and can produce terpene-rich material that’s perfect for extraction. Giving up those outdoor licenses was the worst thing they could have done.”

Ambrosino sees the industry’s structural problems fueling a deeper issue: product inversion. “Inversion is like a cancer tumor,” he said. “Everyone — dispensaries, processors, cultivators — is supporting it. If OCM just cuts it out overnight, the market will bleed to death. We have to shrink the tumor first. The only way to do that is to expand cultivation enough that it doesn’t make sense to invert.”

Licensing Gridlock and Market Whiplash

Dispensary operators say New York’s market isn’t just constrained by bureaucracy, it’s tangled in its own rules. Jon Paul Pezzo, owner of NYC Bud dispensary, believes the state’s proximity restrictions have unintentionally frozen the licensing process. “You have a lot of people that are holding proximities because they’re in the December queue or they just have a proximity,” he explained. “Some may have abandoned their license or run out of money, but those spots are still locked up. That means someone with an actual license can’t move forward.” Pezzo said that while rolling out the market slowly may have helped at first, the process has caused problems on all sides.

Now that the agency is considering waiving its 1,000-foot proximity rule to allow more dispensaries to open, Pezzo worries it’s too soon for such sweeping changes. “The industry isn’t even five years old,” he said. “Let it play out before you start rewriting the rules. If we had known these laws would change this quickly, maybe we would have invested differently.”

He added that while OCM claims to solicit feedback from operators, the process feels one-sided. “I’ve been to many OCM meetings where everyone’s frustrated, and the regulators just sit there getting yelled at,” he said. “At some point, they just shut down. I don’t think they’re really listening to logic.”

The Data Gap: METRC, Testing, and a Lack of Standards

Ambrosino believes New York’s lack of standardized testing and tracking has left the industry vulnerable to chaos. “If you want a juicy nugget, I’ll tell you where to look,” he said. “It’s in the testing, and it’s in the labs. If you dig deep enough, you’ll find that all of our labs are invalid because they were supposed to be updated by Wadsworth Labs, the state police lab that never got the equipment. Because of that, every lab is operating under its own standard. There’s no standardization between labs, and nobody knows.”

That lack of consistency, he warns, could have far-reaching financial consequences. When potency-based taxes were imposed, each lab’s different results meant the state effectively collected taxes on unverified data. “Don’t be surprised if people start demanding money back for what they overpaid in potency taxes,” Ambrosino said.

A long-promised track-and-trace system could have helped prevent some of this disarray, but the rollout has been repeatedly delayed. After three years, the agency now says METRC will finally be implemented in January.

Jon Paul Pezzo says the delay has left retailers struggling with manual systems that are prone to human error. “In a perfect world, this should work like a supermarket—product comes in, product goes out, and it’s all scanned into one universal system,” he explained. “Instead, we’re manually entering everything, and that leads to mislabeled products and bad data. For something that’s a controlled substance, that’s unacceptable.”

He believes a fully integrated METRC system could finally bring order to the process. “You’d have cultivators logging shipments, dispensaries scanning them in, and all the details automatically syncing,” Pezzo said. “It would make everyone’s life easier and protect the business as a whole. I just don’t understand why it’s taken this long.”

The Hemp Loophole is Undermining New York’s Legal Market

“The entire industry is using the hemp loophole,” Ambrosino said, describing a troubling double standard: OCM forced him to remove hemp-derived products from his website even though the regulations permitted out-of-state sales for products under the .3% threshold, while companies like Sluggers continue to sell high-potency “THCA hemp” products directly to New Yorkers online.

“This stuff they’re calling hemp, it’s not hemp, it’s marijuana,” he said. “We have to be smarter. It’s deceptive, and it’s hurting the legal operators who are trying to play by the rules.”

Ambrosino says that without proper lab oversight and product tracking, hemp-derived cannabinoids like THCA are slipping through regulatory cracks, further undermining the licensed market.

The United Nations Poised To Recognize Cannabis Culture

No Comments

Beyond its wellness benefits, cannabis carries a rich and diverse cultural legacy that spans the globe. In a  technical paper submitted to Mondiacult 2025, the Cannabis Embassy calls for global recognition of cannabis cultures as an integral part of humanity’s cultural diversity, and as essential to building inclusive, rights-based, and peace-oriented cultural policies in the 21st century.

Mondiacult 2025, UNESCO’s World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development, will be held in Barcelona, Spain, from September 29 to October 1, 2025. The gathering brings together ministers, policymakers, cultural professionals, and civil society leaders from all 194 UNESCO Member States to shape the global cultural agenda for the years ahead.

The Roots of Cultural Erasure

The paper begins by tracing how cannabis’s regulation transformed into prohibition. In 1925, the International Opium Convention first put cannabis derivatives under international control. But it was the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs that went further, specifically mandating in its Article 49 that traditional or non-medical uses of cannabis should be “abolished” as soon as possible.

This legal architecture effectively criminalized centuries of cultural practices almost overnight, without regard for the histories, traditions, or worldviews of communities that had used cannabis as part of their heritage.

The authors highlight a stark paradox: although Article 49 attempts to eradicate non-medical uses, cannabis use and culture never disappeared. Instead, they persisted and adapted underground, often at great social and legal risk to the people involved.

Culture of Resilience

Criminalization has driven cannabis traditions underground, disrupting the transfer of knowledge across generations and forcing communities to safeguard their heritage in secrecy. The war on drugs has made it risky to openly celebrate or develop cultural practices tied to the plant.

Yet despite decades of stigma and repression, cannabis cultures have shown remarkable resilience. Communities have preserved knowledge orally, sustained clandestine cultivation networks, and reinvented social practices to keep traditions alive.

Still, criminalization has silenced open expression, marginalized traditional growers and knowledge holders, and left indigenous and legacy communities sidelined in legalization efforts that rarely create fair or inclusive opportunities.

Human Rights, Cultural Rights & the Need for Reconciliation

The technical paper frames this struggle in the language of cultural and human rights. International human rights instruments (e.g., UDHR, ICESCR, ICCPR, and treaties protecting indigenous and minority cultures) affirm that all peoples have the right to participate in cultural life, to transmit traditions, and to enjoy “the moral and material interests” tied to their cultural expressions.

Yet, the authors argue, cannabis communities have been systematically denied these rights through prohibition, stigma, and exclusion. Tools of cultural safeguarding (such as UNESCO’s 2003 Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage) have rarely been applied to cannabis-related practices. The paper calls for a recalibration of international norms so that cannabis communities can access recognition, protection, and support.

Policy Recommendations & Pathways Forward

As the world convenes for Mondiacult 2025, this moment presents a window for structural change. The paper sets out key recommendations:

  1. Acknowledge a cultural crisis: explicitly recognize how prohibition has impaired the cultural rights and heritage of cannabis-associated communities.
  2. Reexamine conflicting treaties: address the tensions between Article 49 of the Single Convention and human rights frameworks (UDHR, ICESCR, ICERD).
  3. Support community-led safeguarding efforts by investing in participatory processes to document, revitalize, and protect cannabis-related cultural expressions.
  4. Create enabling environments at national and regional levels, and remove legal and social barriers that prevent communities from freely maintaining or developing their traditions.
  5. Promote equitable benefit–sharing and protections: guard against exploitation or biopiracy of cannabis genetic resources and traditional knowledge.

By recognizing cannabis cultures as part of the global mosaic of cultural expression, and by re-centering rights, dignity, and community control, the authors argue, we can shift from a “war on drugs” mindset toward a culture for peace paradigm.

Read the full report from the Cannabis Embassy here:

From The Lab

An Inside Look at Germany’s Cannabis Supply Chain With The Grünhorn Group

No Comments

On April 1, 2024, Germany launched Pillar 1 of its adult-use legalization framework, building on its established medical cannabis program that has been in place since 2017. Since then, the number of medical patients has surged, as prescriptions remain the only fully legal access point for cannabis aside from home cultivation or membership in non-commercial private clubs, both still limited by incomplete regulations. Unlike the United States, where dispensaries are the backbone of cannabis sales, Germany maintains a more tightly regulated model: patients must secure a doctor’s prescription and fulfill it through a pharmacy.

The next stage, Pillar 2, is expected to introduce licensed retail outlets for adult-use sales, eliminating the requirement for prescriptions. However, with the Christian Democratic Party now in office and maintaining a strong stance against cannabis legalization, these plans face significant uncertainty. While advocates remain hopeful for progress, the CDU’s opposition could delay, restrict, or even reverse parts of the rollout, leaving the future of Germany’s adult-use market in question.

In the meantime, Germany is laying the groundwork for a national infrastructure rooted in its medical system, a stark contrast to the fragmented, state-by-state patchwork in the U.S. This centralized approach not only offers greater oversight and consistency but also positions Germany as a potential model for other European nations exploring reform.

At the center of this rapidly evolving landscape is the Grünhorn Group, one of the country’s most influential players. With an estimated 20 percent market share serving between 5–7 million patients in a nation of 84 million, Grünhorn has established a vertically integrated supply chain that spans importing biomass from global producers, EU-GMP-certified manufacturing, and robust distribution networks. Beyond production, the company operates Germany’s largest online pharmacy platform, giving patients access to products from multiple manufacturers. According to Matthias Fischer, Managing Director of Canymed, Grünhorn’s distribution partner, the group generated €33 million in revenue in 2024, provided medicine to approximately 60,000 patients, and engaged with nearly 6,000 prescribing physicians.

 

Prioritizing Data Collection for Medical Research                                                              For Grünhorn, data is at the core of both its medical mission and its business strategy. The company systematically collects patient feedback on the effects of its products—whether for sleep, anxiety, focus, or other conditions—to inform evidence-based product development. This feedback loop allows Grünhorn to collaborate closely with cultivation partners in designing strains that balance cannabinoids and terpenes to address specific therapeutic needs.

Beyond patient-level insights, Grünhorn is also investing heavily in analytical research. The company operates a gas chromatograph to precisely measure and map the cannabinoid and terpene composition of imported biomass, creating a detailed strain database. To date, Grünhorn has cataloged between 400 and 500 strains of interest, providing one of the most comprehensive genetic and chemical libraries in Germany’s cannabis sector.

“I think the future lies in predicting and knowing which cannabinoids will effectively address specific health indications,” says Fischer, underscoring the company’s long-term vision of turning raw data into targeted, science-driven therapies.

 

Germany is an Import Market

While Germany has licensed domestic cultivation, led by producers such as Tilray, Demecan, and Aurora, the country remains heavily dependent on imports. According to Fischer, the quality of German-grown cannabis has not yet reached the standards set by established cultivation markets in Canada, Portugal, Denmark, and Colombia. To maintain product consistency and meet patient expectations, Grünhorn partners with a Canadian grower, underscoring the ongoing importance of international supply in Germany’s cannabis ecosystem.

Economic factors also weigh heavily on domestic production. High energy costs make large-scale cultivation within Germany particularly challenging, pushing wholesale prices above those of imported flower. As a result, most of the market is supplied by international partners who can cultivate at scale more efficiently and deliver the product at a lower cost.

This reliance on global supply chains is not unique to Grünhorn.

Cantourage, one of Germany’s largest medical cannabis manufacturers, has built its strategy around imports, maintaining partnerships with 40 cultivators across 17 countries. Together, these dynamics reinforce Germany’s role as one of the world’s largest import-driven cannabis markets, even as it develops its own infrastructure.

 

Bottlenecks in the Pharmacy System

Germany’s pharmacy network, spanning both retail and online channels, remains the cornerstone of cannabis dispensing in the country. As patient demand surges, many traditional pharmacies have launched digital platforms to streamline order management. Grünhorn has leaned into this shift, expanding its online pharmacy delivery while forging partnerships with local pharmacists who see cannabis as a valuable revenue driver.

Yet the system is under strain. Because only licensed pharmacists can legally fulfill prescriptions, they often face capacity challenges. Compounding, bottling, labeling, and testing must still be performed manually, creating bottlenecks in day-to-day operations. To keep pace, some pharmacists pre-produce standardized products based on everyday patient needs, despite the model being designed for on-demand compounding. Recognizing these inefficiencies, Grünhorn is investing in custom machinery and software solutions to help pharmacists scale production without compromising compliance, while maintaining oversight of quality and safety.

Another hurdle is product consistency. With prescriptions filled at thousands of independent pharmacies, often by third-party providers, slight variations in formulation are inevitable. “It’s like having 6,000 different factories manufacturing your product,” Fischer explains. To address this, Grünhorn is working on standardized fulfillment models to align independent pharmacies with the quality benchmarks already set by its own online platform.

To further streamline the process, Grünhorn has integrated telemedicine into its supply chain. Patients can now connect directly with physicians, obtain prescriptions, and submit them seamlessly for fulfillment. This innovation helps address a recurring frustration: doctors inadvertently prescribing products that are out of stock, despite having access to inventory databases, ultimately reducing delays and ensuring patients remain on consistent treatment plans.

 

Partnerships and Opportunities                                                                                  Grünhorn’s pharmacy data reveals that 20-30 percent of products generate 80 percent of revenue, indicating a potential for future product consolidation, according to Fischer. For investors, this presents an opportunity to fund medical brands with proven track records that are poised for growth and expansion.

In addition to producing its wholesale product line, Grünhorn is well-positioned and equipped to assist other brands looking to enter the German marketplace and welcomes co-branded product partnerships. They forged a partnership with Somai Pharmaceuticals, based in Portugal, resulting in a two-year, €10 million manufacturing and distribution deal.

Fischer also believes AI will play a significant role in managing the industry in the future, suggesting an opportunity for those looking to enter the German market through technological innovation.

“The biggest challenge we must overcome in the next couple of years is to generate data and medical studies,” Fischer emphasizes. “We have many products with nice ideas, interested patients, and qualifying physicians, but we need more studies and proven evidence to present to new doctors and insurance companies, who are still challenging cannabinoid therapy and requesting data studies.”

For more insights into the German market, listen to an interview with Matthias Fischer on the Innovating Cannabis podcast.

 

From The Lab

MJBowl Comes For New York Brands

By Pam Chmiel
No Comments

MJBizCon, the largest and one of the most influential gatherings in the cannabis industry, is adding a new element to its lineup: a cannabis competition.

This year marks the debut of the MJBowl awards on December 4th in Las Vegas, produced in partnership with Budist, the first-ever review platform to combine consumer feedback with expert ratings from seasoned professionals.

Elevating Cannabis Standards

Often compared to Wine Spectator, the influential magazine known for expert ratings, detailed tasting notes, and industry news, Budist applies a similar model to cannabis.

“Cannabis needed a professional ratings and review platform that elevates a brand’s standards,” said Claudio Miranda, co-founder and COO of Budist. “Just like wine, coffee, or craft beer, cannabis deserves a transparent, unbiased system for measuring quality.”

The inaugural event will feature separate competitions in California and New York, with winners crowned in each state. While future editions may pit markets against one another, for now, the MJBowl is designed as a celebration of excellence rather than a direct state-to-state showdown, since cannabis remains federally illegal and cannot be shipped across state lines.

Driving Premiumization in Cannabis

Beyond ratings and reviews, Budist is also tackling one of the industry’s most persistent challenges: the lack of education around products. Miranda points out that cannabis is often reduced to a race to the bottom, where products are judged primarily on low prices and high THC percentages.

By introducing expert-driven evaluations, Budist aims to help consumers understand why some products command a higher price, just as wine drinkers learn to distinguish between a $10 and a $100 bottle. The platform also shines a spotlight on cultivators and brands that invest in craftsmanship, such as high-quality sun-grown flower, which is often undervalued in today’s market.

“Education is key,” Miranda explained. “Some consumers want value products, and that’s fine. But others are willing to pay more for craftsmanship and quality, and they want to know why that product is worth the premium. That’s where we come in—helping consumers make sense of the differences.”

Budist vs. Ganjier: Complementary Roles

Because Budist is often compared to the Ganjier program, Miranda clarifies the distinction and how they complement one another.

  • Ganjier, founded by renowned cultivator Kevin Jodrey, is the industry’s first sommelier-style certification program. It provides deep product knowledge, professional credentials, and evaluation training similar to earning a degree.
  • Budist is a platform. It gives certified experts, including many Ganjiers, an outlet to apply their skills in the marketplace.

In addition to expert reviews, Budist also includes consumer ratings, creating a dual system modeled after platforms like Rotten Tomatoes, where both critics and everyday users contribute.

 

“Both perspectives are valid,” Miranda said. “Our professionals might include Ganjiers, longtime competition judges, journalists, or educators, but they all share a commitment to standardized, unbiased product evaluation. At the same time, consumer input provides balance and insight into what everyday users value.”

 

Together, programs like Ganjier and platforms like Budist help professionalize cannabis evaluation, giving the industry tools to recognize quality while also educating consumers about the nuances that distinguish one product from another.

California vs. New York: Different Stages, Different Stories

One of the most compelling aspects of the MJBowl will be seeing how winners differ between California and New York.

California has had a legal cannabis framework for over 20 years and is a hub of innovation for brands, product formats, retail experiences, and cultivation and extraction methods. New York’s regulated market, by contrast, is still in its early stages. While its traditional market is longstanding, the legal side has fewer brands and less product diversity, making it more of a developing market than a mature one.

It’s not just about the products. Each MJ Bowl competition reflects the culture of its state. In New York, social equity license holders make up a majority of the market, accounting for approximately 54 percent across cultivation, manufacturing, and retail. Many of these operators come from the legacy market and support one another as they transition into the legal industry. Growers supply brands, brands support retailers, and retailers provide visibility for their community peers. This longstanding network of collaboration is now thriving in the regulated space, giving New York’s cannabis scene a uniquely cooperative spirit.

California, by contrast, brings decades of product innovation and a deep bench of brands, with judges steeped in West Coast cannabis culture. New York’s judging team is being built from within its own community. “This isn’t about California going to New York and telling them what we think of their products,” Miranda said. “It’s about letting each market speak for itself, from producers to consumers and professionals alike.”

How Judges Decide What Wins

According to Miranda, winning products don’t follow a single formula; trends, innovation, and what’s bubbling up in the market all matter. Years ago, hydrocarbon extracts such as shatter and wax dominated competitions, while today’s connoisseurs favor solventless products like rosin. Edibles have evolved from simple brownies to precisely dosed chocolates, beverages, and nanotech-infused products. Judges also reward innovation across hardware and packaging, not just flower or concentrates.

Budist is working to elevate standards by implementing a 100-point evaluation rubric that scores aroma, flavor, appearance, and effect, weighted differently according to category. For example, concentrates are judged heavily on aroma and flavor, while medicinal capsules are judged primarily on whether they deliver the promised effect.

The scoring system also recognizes that consumer expectations vary widely across categories. “You can’t measure rosin against distillate and call one better than the other; they’re different products serving different purposes,” Miranda explained. That’s why products compete within subcategories, ensuring fair comparisons and allowing each style to shine on its own merits.

For the MJBowl, there are five main competition categories:

  • Flower
  • Pre-rolls
  • Vaporizers
  • Concentrates
  • Edibles

Within these, entries are divided into 11 subcategories—such as distillates, live resin, solventless extracts, chocolates, gummies, and beverages to ensure recognition across the full spectrum of cannabis products.

What Winners Receive

In addition to honoring winners on the national stage at MJBizCon, the MJBowl ups the stakes with event tickets, an awards show entry, and a travel voucher to Las Vegas. Winning brands also gain major visibility through post-event press coverage, Budist social promotion, and amplification from MJBiz.

Retail partners in each state, such as The Artist Tree, with 10 California locations, and Gotham, with four dispensaries in New York, have committed to showcasing winners on their shelves.

“This isn’t an award that disappears once the show ends,” Miranda said. “It translates directly into new opportunities for brands. So we hope everybody enters.”

 

Hear Claudio Miranda’s full interview on the Innovating Cannabis Podcast and YouTube.

Arizona Commands the Nation’s Highest Cannabis Business Valuations

By , Gordon K. Sattro
No Comments

Whether it’s a single retail license, a multi-site operation, or a vertically integrated enterprise, deals in Arizona are fetching top-tier premiums – often exceeding price points in larger, more mature markets like California.

So, what’s driving these sky-high valuations? More importantly, how can industry players take advantage? Let’s break it down.

Arizona: Where Cannabis Assets Command a Premium

Over the past 24 months, dozens of transactions have closed in Arizona by way of consolidation, ranging from single dispensary sales to multi-unit portfolio deals. The results have been record-setting: in some cases a standalone retail license has sold for over $10 million, a figure unheard of in many other states. Arizona’s cannabis assets are, in a word, premium and are routinely attracting bids that surpass those in traditionally dominant market.. Clearly, Arizona has become a market where cannabis assets command a serious premium.

Why is this desert market so hot? Below are five key factors fueling Arizona’s elevated valuations.

Five Key Factors Driving Arizona’s Sky-High Cannabis Valuations

  1. Limited License Structure: Arizona’s cannabis market operates under a tightly restrictive license cap, with only 169 dispensary licenses statewide. This built-in scarcity means any available license instantly becomes a coveted asset. With far fewer retail outlets than demand requires, sellers hold the leverage – and can command steep prices as a result.
  2. Dual Licensure (Medical + Recreational): Many Arizona licenses are dual-use, meaning one license allows both medical and adult-use sales. This doubles a dispensary’s potential customer base overnight. Dual licensure translates to higher revenue per store, as each licensed operator can serve all segments of the market. Buyers are willing to pay a premium for this versatility and expanded market share.
  3. Strategic Location and Growing Consumer Base: Arizona boasts one of the fastest-growing populations in the U.S., with major metros like Phoenix and Tucson expanding rapidly. The state also enjoys booming tourist traffic and steady streams of interstate shoppers (especially from nearby prohibition states such as Texas, Utah, and New Mexico). On top of that, Arizona offers a favorable business climate with relatively low taxes and fees, which further boosts profitability for operators. In short, demand is high and operating costs are relatively manageable which all results in a perfect recipe for rich valuations.
  4. Robust Sales and Profitability: Thanks to limited competition and dual-use sales, Arizona dispensaries tend to generate strong revenues and healthy profit margins. Each store services a large customer pool, often resulting in higher sales per dispensary than in states with more saturated markets. Buyers see that Arizona operations can yield a significant return on investment, which justifies paying top dollar for a foothold in the market.
  5. Strong Investor Demand: The buzz around Arizona has drawn in deep-pocketed buyers from across the country. Green Life has witnessed both institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals eagerly bidding for Arizona licenses and companies. This competitive buyer pool pushes valuations even higher – it’s not uncommon to see bidding wars drive a sale price well above the initial asking. When multiple buyers are vying to enter or expand in Arizona, sellers ultimately reap the reward in the form of lofty sale prices.

Navigating the Arizona Market: Buyers and Sellers

Buyers: How to Win in a Hot Market
 For buyers, Arizona’s high valuations mean you must come prepared. To successfully acquire an asset in this competitive market, buyers should:

  • Be ready to move quickly. Attractive opportunities often trigger bidding wars, so speed and decisiveness are essential once a viable deal hits the market.
  • Expect to pay a premium. Understand that Arizona assets are expensive for good reason – low-ball offers won’t win deals here. Savvy buyers budget for top-tier prices and focus on the long-term upside.
  • Leverage local expertise. Partnering with experienced cannabis brokers or advisors (like Green Life Business) who know the Arizona landscape can help you identify opportunities early and navigate the complex regulatory environment with confidence.

Sellers: How to Maximize Your Sale
 For sellers, Arizona’s moment in the spotlight presents a prime opportunity – but preparation is key to capturing maximum value. Green Life Business guides sellers through critical steps to capitalize on the market, including:

  • Packaging the business for maximum value. We help organize financials, compliance records, and growth stories into a compelling presentation that attracts top-tier buyers.
  • Securing pre-qualified buyers. Through an extensive network, we screen and line up buyers who have the interest and the funds, ensuring a smoother sale process.
  • Navigating regulatory hurdles. From state licensing rules to local regulations, our team helps sellers handle all compliance and license transfer requirements without derailment.
  • Closing quickly and transparently. We strive for deals that close on time, with no surprises, giving both parties confidence from offer to final handshake.

By taking these steps, sellers can tap into Arizona’s aggressive pricing environment and drive their deal to the finish line efficiently.

Bottom Line


Arizona isn’t just hot – it’s on fire. In a market where asset values elsewhere are cooling, Arizona continues to deliver record-setting valuations fueled by scarcity, strong demand, and proven profitability.

With experience selling High Times, Statehouse, and securing the largest all-cash cannabis transaction since 2022, Green Life Business has the expertise and track record to position your Arizona business for the strongest possible sale outcome. Whether you’re considering an exit, recapitalization, or expansion, our team brings the market knowledge and deal execution needed to maximize value.

Let’s talk. The next great Arizona transaction could be yours.

Greenlife Business Group Inc.

NECANN Atlantic City: Insights on NJ’s Emerging Market

By Pam Chmiel
No Comments

The excitement and interest around New Jersey are impossible to ignore because of its potential to be one of the most lucrative cannabis markets in the country. Since legalization, operators have been racing to open doors, capture consumers, and keep pace with evolving regulations, as they battle sky-high operating costs, shifting compliance rules, and the uncertainty of how consumer demand will shake out.

At NECANN’s Atlantic City conference, a panel of industry insiders gathered to offer their insights on where the Garden State’s market is heading. Moderated by Jacob Robbins of Longview Strategic, the panel brought together voices from the packaging, brewing, and manufacturing industries to explore the opportunities, roadblocks, and trends reshaping the industry.

“This market is young and growing fast,” Robbins said as he opened the session. “But it’s also unpredictable. Success requires both planning and adaptability.”

Lesson From Other States: Scaling Smart                                                                                    Jason Marshall of AE Global, a company specializing in packaging and supply chain solutions, began by pointing to lessons from more mature cannabis markets. Drawing on his background in consumer packaged goods (CPG) with companies like Pepsi and General Mills, Marshall stressed that packaging in cannabis is far more than just compliance.

“Packaging is the vehicle for trust and brand identity,” he said. “In a crowded dispensary, that’s how you stand out.”

The data shows just how crowded New Jersey has become. In 2023, the state tracked 2,100 SKUs; this year, that number more than doubled to 4,800. For consumers, that means unprecedented choice. For businesses, it means competing for shelf space and consumer attention in ways that look increasingly like mainstream retail.

Marshall’s advice was clear: treat cannabis like any other consumer market. Strategic planning is essential, but rigid strategies rarely succeed. Operators must be nimble and prepared to adjust pricing, packaging, and distribution to reflect changing consumer behavior and evolving regulatory requirements. “The playbook is always shifting,” Marshall said. “The winners are the ones who can shift with it.”

Regulations vs. Market Reality                                                                                                           If packaging is where brands differentiate, regulation is where they stumble. Chuck Garrity, founder of Death of the Fox Brewing Co., knows firsthand what happens when rules lag behind business. His experience navigating New Jersey’s craft beer rollout gave him a sobering perspective on what to expect when he entered the cannabis industry with his dispensary, Frosted Nug.

“We saw the same messy process with craft beer,” Garrity said. “Government always lags behind business. Cannabis is no different.”

According to Garrity, the problem isn’t just bureaucracy; it’s who writes the rules. Lobbyists, he argued, play an outsized role in shaping legislation. Unless operators engage lawmakers directly, they risk being boxed out of decisions that will shape their businesses for decades.

“Operators need relationships with mayors, senators, and regulators. If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” he warned.

The threat of overregulation is real. Rules that are too restrictive, he said, could choke off innovation and slow down the momentum New Jersey needs to stay competitive with neighboring states. For Garrity, political advocacy is not optional; it’s survival.

Manufacturing, Innovation, and White Labeling                                                      Where Garrity sees a risk in policy, Hursh Patel sees opportunity in production. Patel, founder of Red Oak Cannabis, detailed his company’s investment in a CGMP-certified manufacturing facility powered by AI-driven automation to raise the bar on quality, consistency, and efficiency.

“Automation and quality control are everything in cannabis manufacturing,” Patel said. Consumers expect consistency. Retailers demand it. AI helps us deliver it at scale.”

But Patel’s bigger play is in white-labeling. In a landscape where every dispensary is trying to carve out its identity, exclusive brands offer a way to build loyalty and improve margins.

“White label gives retailers the chance to control more of the value chain,” Patel explained. “It’s a high-margin growth path, but it only works with the right partners and strict quality standards.”

The strategy has been successful in other states, where dispensaries have developed in-house brands that compete directly with national players. In a crowded New Jersey market, Patel argued, it could mean the difference between profitability and mediocrity.

Beverages: The Next Super-Category                                                          One trend drew universal attention: beverages. While still a small slice of the market, cannabis drinks are gaining momentum across the U.S., and panelists believe New Jersey won’t be far behind.

Marshall pointed to the West Coast, where dispensaries in California and Oregon are increasingly “fridge-heavy,” dedicating prime space to cannabis beverages. Branding is more experiential, with products designed to appeal to wellness-minded and socially conscious consumers who might never consider smoking a joint.

“Beverages are shaping up to be a super-category,” Marshall said. “In three to five years, they could be the preferred consumption method.”

National brands like Cycling Frog are already building mainstream awareness, helping normalize the idea of drinking cannabis instead of alcohol. For New Jersey operators, beverages represent both an opportunity and a challenge: they require cold storage, different packaging standards, and consumer education. But if the predictions hold true, they could also be the next major driver of growth for dispensaries.

Roadblocks On The Horizon                                                                         Despite the optimism, delivery remains an obstacle, being both costly and underdeveloped. Insurance premiums are steep, and regulations create more friction than efficiency. Without reform, consumers may continue to rely on traditional purchasing channels.

Interstate commerce also looms large. While federal legalization remains stalled, most agree that it’s a matter of when, not if. For New Jersey, with its high operating costs, the threat is real. Once interstate trade opens, local producers may struggle to compete with lower-cost operators on the West Coast.

Then there’s politics. New Jersey’s upcoming gubernatorial election could have a major impact on the regulatory climate. A shift in leadership could accelerate reform or stall it indefinitely.

Key Takeaways for New Jersey Operators                                                  By the end of the session, a handful of themes emerged as survival strategies for cannabis businesses in the Garden State:

  1. Build flexibility into strategy. The rules and market conditions will change—your business model must be ready to adapt.
  2. Study other state markets. Learn from the missteps and successes of other states.
  3. Cultivate political relationships. Lobbying power isn’t optional; it’s how laws get written.
  4. Explore white-label opportunities. House brands can expand margins and consumer loyalty.
  5. Prepare for beverages. There seems to be a big white space for beverages. Whether it’s in two years or five, drinks are poised to lead consumer adoption.

A Market Still Taking Shape                                                                         The challenges are significant, and the future is uncertain, just like any other maturing cannabis market. But for operators willing to stay lean, resourceful, invest in relationships, and think creatively about products, the opportunity remains immense.

“This is still the early innings,” Robbins said in closing. “The operators who thrive will be the ones who treat this like the serious, dynamic consumer market it is, while never forgetting that in cannabis, everything can change overnight.”

 

What you will learn:

  • What makes New Jersey one of the most promising cannabis markets in the U.S.?

  • How are operators adapting to high operating costs and changing regulations?

  • What lessons can New Jersey learn from more mature cannabis markets?

  • Why is packaging important for brand identity and consumer trust in cannabis?

  • How can white-label products help dispensaries improve margins and loyalty?

  • Why are cannabis beverages considered a potential “super-category” for growth?

  • What regulatory and political challenges could impact New Jersey operators?

  • How can operators stay flexible and thrive in a rapidly evolving cannabis market?

How Cannabis Moves Around the World: Inside the Global Supply Chain

By Pam Chmiel
No Comments

Global cannabis trade is well underway as legalized countries move forward to establish a supply chain infrastructure in a newly formed and rapidly evolving industry. At the forefront of transportation logistics is Cannabilog, an Israeli company led by pharmaceutical industry veteran Yoram Eshel. In an interview, he shared his playbook for building a compliant, efficient, and scalable supply chain for global cannabis import and export trade.

 

The Complex Web of Global Cannabis Trade Regulations

According to Eshel, not surprisingly, the global cannabis trade hinges on regulatory compliance and requires expertise to manage the movement of products across continents. Unlike pharmaceuticals, where harmonized frameworks such as those of the European Union apply across borders, cannabis regulations differ drastically from country to country.

Some nations permit imports, while others ban them entirely. Even within importing countries, the rules vary by product category. “Some will allow flower, others only oil or genetics,” Eshel explains. “It’s never a simple straight line.”

Every aspect of the supply chain requires specific licensing under narcotics laws, from cultivation and storage to import and export. Adding to the challenge is the constant evolution of these laws. For example, Thailand initially embraced its booming local market and export-friendly policies, but the new government abruptly switched course and limited cannabis use to medical purposes only. In addition, Thai producers seeking to export face roadblocks because European authorities do not recognize their local GACP certifications, which are based on “Good Cultivation and Harvesting Practices for Medicinal Plants.”

Eshel emphasizes that failing to keep pace with changing laws can be costly.

 

“If you export cannabis products to another country and they can’t clear customs, the shipment is destroyed. There’s no way back.”

 

Medical Cannabis Must Meet Pharmaceutical Standards

The second major pillar of the international cannabis trade is adherence to pharmaceutical-grade standards. “Governments treat medical cannabis as a medicine,” says Eshel. “It’s exactly like Tylenol or any other drug.”

Even though cannabis has not gone through the traditional drug registration process, regulators treat it as a pharmaceutical product, which means it must comply with strict Good Distribution Practice (GDP) requirements. That includes temperature control, data logging, and rigorous quality management throughout the supply chain. Every shipment is audited and must be approved by a Qualified Person (QP) on the receiving end before entering the market. If any quality parameters are unmet, the product is rejected.

Logistics providers like Cannabilog must operate under EU GDP certification and maintain pharmaceutical-grade systems and documentation. “We are audited constantly,” Eshel says.

The difference between the medical and recreational markets often catches producers off guard, especially those in countries like Canada, which has a more recreational mindset, similar to that of the US. “When you move into the medical space,” Eshel notes, “you suddenly need temperature-controlled vehicles, validated packaging, and specialized labeling. It requires training and experience.”

Globally, countries such as Germany, Australia, and Israel classify cannabis exclusively as a medical product. “It’s not even close to recreational,” Eshel stresses. “And in most countries, recreational use is still illegal and requires special licensing.”

 

Managing Cold Chain Logistics

After navigating complex regulations and meeting pharmaceutical-grade standards, the final piece of the international cannabis trade puzzle, says Eshel, is execution.

 

“You can have your licenses, your permits, your quality system, but if you don’t execute correctly, everything can fail.”

 

Execution means maintaining control over every step, including packaging, labeling, documentation, temperature regulation, and secure transportation. Shipments must move through carefully selected routes using temperature-controlled vehicles, warehouses, and flights, with continuous monitoring to ensure product integrity is preserved. In some countries, even armed escorts are required for security.

Eshel explains that cannabis logistics is not one-size-fits-all. Each product type, including genetics, flower, and concentrates, has unique handling and storage protocols. For instance, cannabis clones present one of the most challenging forms of transport. “Most clones are unrooted,” he says. “From the moment you cut them from the mother plant, you have three to four days to keep them alive. That requires special packaging, rapid shipping, and customs clearance to get them back into water in time.”

Temperature management is another major operational challenge. Most global regulators require cannabis products to be stored and transported between 59 °F and 77 °F, known in the pharmaceutical world as Controlled Room Temperature (CRT). In the United States, many recommend that temperatures should not exceed 70 °F for optimal cannabis preservation. Eshel clarifies that maintaining actual CRT conditions demands active temperature monitoring and specialized packaging, not just insulated boxes.

For every shipment, Cannabilog conducts a route risk assessment to evaluate potential environmental extremes along the supply chain. Eshel cites the example of shipments from Canada to Australia, where opposite seasons create complex thermal risks.

 

“Winter in Canada is summer in Australia, making temperature management a challenge from continent to continent; you have to plan for that,” he says.

 

To minimize exposure, Cannabilog uses pharma-grade airline partners that store and handle products under strict temperature conditions and prioritize loading and unloading to reduce time on the tarmac. Each shipment includes data loggers that record temperature throughout transit.

 

“If there’s an excursion outside the allowed range,” Eshel notes, “the products are rejected.”

 

European regulators, he adds, tend to enforce these standards more rigorously than their U.S. counterparts. While the United States has many GMP-certified cannabis facilities, most are not EU-GMP certified, which limits their ability to export to Europe when the time comes, even though the differences are not that big.

Eshel contrasts this with Canada, where much of the market remains recreational. While medical exporters adhere to strict temperature control and quality management, domestic recreational products are often transported under looser conditions.

 

“You can’t count on the weather,” he says. “Temperature management is part of the medical cannabis infrastructure.”

 

The Last Mile in Cannabis Preservation

Most of Cannabilog’s shipments are from a cultivation or production facility to a licensed wholesaler or distribution center, rather than directly to pharmacies.

 

“We verify that every facility we deliver to is properly licensed and has temperature-controlled storage,” Eshel says.

 

Cannabilog provides insurance coverage for every shipment, including losses related to temperature excursions or other transport issues. However, ultimate product responsibility remains with the manufacturer, much like in the pharmaceutical industry.

 

“If something goes wrong, it’s the manufacturer’s duty to investigate, and if needed, issue a recall,” Eshel explains.

 

Each transfer of custody, whether at the port, airport, or distribution warehouse, marks a shift in responsibility defined by the buyer-seller agreement. Still, Eshel stresses that all parties must adhere to Good Distribution Practices (GDP) and maintain detailed documentation, including lab tests and Certificates of Analysis (COAs), to ensure transparency and traceability.

Without mandatory cold-chain standards, products are often transported in “hot trucks,” leading to product degradation. Eshel agrees: “The last mile is often the weakest link in the supply chain infrastructure as the industry strives to build a cold chain custody from seed to sale.”

Even last-mile deliveries must be temperature-controlled. The difference, Eshel says, comes down to mentality. “In Europe, it’s purely medical. There’s no confusion between recreational and medical use, so cannabis is treated just like any other medicine.”