Danish and international companies are pushing for Denmark to become a cultivation and research hub in Europe for medical cannabis, the program is being led by the Danish Health Minister Ellen Trane Nørby who expressed her pleasure with the program so far, in contrast to the warnings of the Danish Medical Association. Nørby was the keynote at the European Cannabis Symposium held in Copenhagen last month and was backed up by industry sources saying the country was moving in the right direction with well-made legislation.
According to Nørby patient numbers rose from 411 prescriptions for 227 patients in the first quarter of 2018 to 1,329 prescriptions for 765 patients in the fourth quarter and more and more doctors are joining the program.
Cannabis produced in Denmark will reach consumers for the first time late Q3 this year and will help improve the above numbers significantly. There are export plans in the making and should commence soon after as the need in the Danish market is fulfilled, this is according to Rikke Jakobsen CEO of Cannabis Denmark, a nongovernmental organization, who also was very positive on the program and recently had been in the Faroe Islands where the local government just approved a program based on the Danish approach.
According to Nørby the main challenge currently is the inconsistent regulations for medical cannabis across Europe creating an uneven playing field making business and access to medicine cumbersome, we are just starting this Journey.