French Polynesia Selects Ten Pioneer Cannabis Farmers
In a development that could reshape Pacific island agriculture, French Polynesia has officially launched its medical cannabis pilot program by authorizing ten carefully selected farmers to begin cultivation.
Published in mid-February, the new regulations represent the archipelago’s cautious first steps into legal cannabis production, with strict controls designed to prevent misuse while exploring therapeutic potential. Each licensed cultivator receives permission to grow Cannabis sativa L. on just 0.15 hectares—roughly the size of two tennis courts—with two farmers selected from each of Polynesia’s five archipelagos.
The total cultivation area of 1.5 hectares reflects authorities’ emphasis on research over commercialization. But there’s optimism behind the caution. Institute Louis Malardé, Polynesia’s primary research facility, conducted preliminary tests showing that THC levels remained consistently below the legal 0.3% threshold even after six successive replantings, suggesting the selected cannabis varieties can reliably produce medical-grade CBD without drifting into illegal territory.
The regulations impose additional requirements that underscore officials’ determination to maintain control. Cultivation sites must be located away from schools, religious buildings, and public roads, concealed behind opaque barriers or hedges to prevent unauthorized viewing.
Local police have been notified of approved locations to prevent accidental raids on legitimate operations. Would-be cultivators face another significant hurdle: they must demonstrate residency in French Polynesia for at least ten years, ensuring the program benefits established community members rather than opportunistic newcomers.
Approved products include seeds, food items, dried leaves, aqueous infusions, and dietary supplements, though notably absent from the initial approval list is CBD oil—one of the most popular administration methods—suggesting authorities plan gradual expansion as the pilot program demonstrates safety and efficacy.
Source: lnc.nc
Germany Tightens Medical Cannabis Rules Amid Prescription Surge
Germany’s Bundesrat voted on November 21st to support significant restrictions on medical cannabis prescribing and distribution, reflecting growing governmental concern about the explosive growth of online cannabis platforms since the substance was removed from the narcotics list in April.
The upper chamber of parliament backed three core amendments targeting what officials characterize as regulatory loopholes that enabled aggressive marketing and questionable prescribing practices.
First, the Bundesrat supported clarifying that foreign prescriptions from European Union, European Economic Area, and Swiss doctors will not be recognized for medical cannabis, effectively shutting down offshore telemedicine operations that had flourished by offering German patients prescriptions without the in-person consultations now required under German law.
Second, lawmakers approved applying the German Drug Price regulations to medical cannabis, aiming to eliminate inconsistent pricing practices by pharmacies that emerged after cannabis transitioned from narcotic to prescription medicine.
Third, the chamber approved banning public advertising for medical cannabis, targeting the rapid proliferation of online platforms promoting simplified access to treatment through social media campaigns and simplified consultation processes.
However, in a significant victory for patient access advocates, proposals to classify mail-order distribution of cannabis flowers as an administrative offense failed to gain majority support.
This means the controversial mail-order restrictions remain in their original form without additional enforcement mechanisms—offering temporary relief for pharmacies and patients in rural areas who depend on delivery services.
Industry observers note the Bundesrat’s position doesn’t determine the bill’s final content, as the Bundestag can override objections by majority vote, but the November vote signals broad political support for reining in Germany’s freewheeling medical cannabis market before it grows beyond regulatory control.
Source: businessofcannabis.com
Australian Doctors Sound Alarm Over Cannabis Prescription Boom
Australian medical professionals are raising serious concerns about what they’re calling a “medicinal cannabis meltdown,” arguing that special access pathways originally designed for treatments of last resort have been hijacked to serve a booming commercial industry.
The stark numbers tell the story: during just six months last year, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration approved special access applications to initiate 441,000 patients on the highest-THC-strength medicinal cannabis products—a staggering figure that has left regulators and physicians questioning whether the system has spiraled out of control.
When medicinal cannabis was legalized in 2016, the framework seemed sensible: special access schemes would allow doctors to prescribe unapproved cannabis products for patients with few other options, typically those receiving palliative care or suffering intractable epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, or chronic pain unresponsive to standard treatments.
But what began as compassionate access for desperate patients has transformed into something entirely different.
Today, most prescriptions address relatively common conditions like chronic pain, anxiety, and sleep disorders—hardly the extraordinary circumstances the special access pathways were designed to accommodate.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency has announced plans to crack down on unsafe prescribing practices, but critics argue the regulators have been asleep at the wheel, merely waiting for complaint notifications to accumulate rather than proactively addressing obvious system abuse.
Meanwhile, Australia’s medical cannabis market races toward surpassing one billion Australian dollars in sales by year’s end, cementing its position as the largest medical cannabis market outside North America.
The uncomfortable question now confronting Australian healthcare: has legitimate medical access been sacrificed to commercial interests, and can the system be reformed before patient safety is seriously compromised?
Source: ausdoc.com.au
Iceland Debates Cannabis Reform as Usage Contradicts Prohibition
Iceland presents a curious paradox: one of Europe’s most restrictive cannabis policies coexisting with remarkably high usage rates. Approximately 18.3% of Iceland’s population regularly consumes cannabis—a higher percentage than the United States despite America’s widespread legalization.
This contradiction has energized reform advocates, particularly activist Þórunn Þórs Jónsdóttir and the Icelandic Hemp Association, who are pushing for substantive policy changes in a country where cannabis has been illegal since 1969.
Currently, Iceland maintains a zero-tolerance approach that classifies all cannabis as an illicit substance, with no medical cannabis program beyond extremely limited access to Sativex, a pharmaceutical spray containing both THC and CBD that can only be prescribed by licensed neurologists for specific conditions like multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy.
Even cannabidiol products exist in regulatory limbo, with CBD technically not specifically banned but not fully legal either, creating confusion at customs and among retailers attempting to serve consumer demand for non-psychoactive wellness products.
In 2023, parliament discussed implementing a four-year pilot medical cannabis program modeled after Denmark’s system, which would have studied both domestic production infrastructure and patient access effects.
But as of October 2025, that proposal remains unenacted, leaving patients and advocates frustrated by governmental inaction despite growing international evidence of cannabis’s medical applications.
The reform debate reflects deeper tensions in Icelandic society, which maintained alcohol prohibition well into the twentieth century and continues wrestling with how to balance public health concerns against individual liberty and emerging scientific evidence.
Whether Iceland’s high usage rates will eventually force policy change—or whether cultural conservatism will maintain prohibition despite widespread noncompliance—remains one of Europe’s unresolved cannabis policy questions.
Source: canamo.net
Morocco Courts European Markets at Prague Cannabis Trade Show
When twenty-two Moroccan cannabis companies arrived at Prague’s Cannafest international trade show in early November, they weren’t just displaying products—they were announcing Morocco’s ambition to become a major player in Europe’s medical cannabis market.
The delegation, including four specialized cooperatives, showcased an impressive range of cosmetics, dietary supplements, and medical derivatives extracted from legal cannabis cultivation. The November 6-9 event marked Morocco’s third appearance at the show, but this year felt different.
Direct business-to-business meetings connected Moroccan producers with buyers from across Europe and beyond, including representatives from the Czech Republic, Spain, England, Belgium, and even Ivory Coast. The strategic timing couldn’t be better. Czech Republic stands among the European Union’s largest cannabis importers, with regulations allowing products containing up to 1% THC—one of the highest thresholds in Europe.
This means Moroccan products can enter the market without requiring additional chemical processing to reduce THC levels, a significant cost advantage. British and Belgian companies expressed strong interest in forming partnerships, signaling Morocco’s growing credibility in the legitimate cannabis sector.
The National Agency for Regulating Cannabis-Related Activities emphasized this wasn’t merely symbolic participation. The goal involves establishing permanent marketing channels and building direct commercial relationships that could transform Morocco’s cannabis industry from its illicit past into a regulated, export-oriented future.
For Moroccan farming cooperatives, many operating in regions historically associated with illegal cultivation, the Prague showcase represented something more profound: recognition, legitimacy, and economic opportunity on the global stage.
Source: ariffino.net