Arnau Valdovinos Founder & Principal Guide @ Cannamonitor | Market Intelligence posted the next at Linkedin this week.
Italian medical hashish gross sales fell in 2023 for the primary time because the nation started medical legalization in Europe a decade in the past.
Italy, which beforehand led the European market, is now behind not solely Germany, but additionally the UK and Poland, when it comes to affected person entry to cannabinoid drugs.
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Regardless of the introduction of extracts and the federal government's vote to extend home and international provide, gross sales have stagnated at round 1.5 tonnes distributed yearly.
The provision of flowers is at the moment restricted to imports from Bedrocan by means of the Dutch authorities, a army public tender at the moment awarded to the Spanish Linneo Well being, and the very restricted personal manufacturing of the military.
Native CBD producers akin to DolomitiGrow are occupied with supplying the medical scheme, however haven’t but been allowed.
Within the final two years, gamers akin to Tilray Medical Europe and Curaleaf have launched extracts to the market, hoping to facilitate masterful preparation and enhance prescription charges amongst professionals.
In areas akin to Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, extracts have been authorised for public reimbursement. Nonetheless, this doesn’t appear to have helped enhance its penetration.
The issues affecting the Italian medical scheme embrace:
Unreliable provide: there are frequent product shortages even a decade after the inauguration of the scheme, making the continuity of remedy an inaccessible endeavor for many sufferers, regardless of the restricted variety of preparations accessible in galenic pharmacies.
Excessive ranges of forms: the federal government restricts the businesses that may import and distribute merchandise, the merchandise that may be imported, that may be produced at house, units costs… every area imposes guidelines for prescription and reimbursement.
⚕️ Lack of prescribing medical doctors: bureaucratic obstacles to prescribers, limitations on non-public gamers and lack of medical schooling have restricted the variety of sufferers to round 20,000, regardless of hundreds of thousands of Italians who declare to make use of hashish for therapeutic functions .
Regardless of being the chief in Europe within the manufacturing of CBD and boasting one of many highest charges of use on the continent (greater than 10% of adults within the final yr), the mannequin led by the federal government of l Italy is lagging behind within the European framework for entry to cannabinoid merchandise. .
Liberalizing the sector with simplified entry and extra suppliers may deliver vital market alternatives and luxury to sufferers who’ve needed to fend for themselves for too lengthy whereas feeding the illicit market.
Do you count on Italy to tighten its rules on entry to medical hashish and resume development? Let me know within the feedback
