Germany imported 2025 tons of medical cannabis. Part of that volume came from a Portuguese processor whose license had been revoked, which was unloaded below cost as it was reinstated. The episode sparked attention, and consequences followed. PTMC’s Joao Duarte believes that most of these conclusions are wrong. “Eight tons is not even 5% of what Germany consumes per year,” he says. “For that to result in price dumping, the math just doesn’t work.”

Structural price pressure
According to him, the price pressure in Portugal is mainly structural. “The more countries that get into production and start exporting, the lower the prices will be. Today, Colombia is exporting, Costa Rica is exporting, and Brazil, with the scale it can bring to outside cultivation, is not far behind. Canada has been the main volume supplier to markets in Germany, Australia, Israel and the UK due to the strength of low-priced flowers from European producers. Again, and fast.” It draws a direct line with what happened in the CBD market in previous years, when prices were compressed as supply expanded and operators without cost or quality advantages found themselves without a market. Medical flower THC, he says, is following the same logic over a longer timeline.

To lift the burden of this price pressure, the answer obviously lies in the right regulations and policies. These should be based on the principles of providing high quality medicines to patients. To achieve this, the flowers must reach the consumers shortly after they are picked. As simple as it sounds, proximity is Portugal’s real advantage. “The fresher the flower is when it reaches the patient, the better the quality,” he says. “Only proximity gives that.”

© Henner Damke | Dreamstime

A turning point
As for the regulatory issue, Joao points to Portugal’s eight-year history of medical cannabis as a distinguishing feature, following last year’s police raids. Organizations that have long been involved in the licensing and enforcement framework have developed standards and experience in applying them. “Our GMP standards are real,” he says. “They are not a number on a certificate.”

The damage to the reputation of these raids, in his opinion, is exaggerated. “There is always a scandal in the industry,” he said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s over, that a country’s economic sector has been kicked out. Canada, the largest exporter of cannabis, is the clearest example of that. Everyone remembers the CannTrust scandal in 2019, which made international headlines. That didn’t kill the Canadian industry until it became them, the regulatory system moved in their work. It looks like.”

EU-GMP clearance
One important area is EU GMP clearance, the practice of converting imported flowers through a European facility to obtain certification that the original material would not otherwise carry. “We would have more value growing the flowers than doing the conversion,” he says. For Portuguese producers, the practice reduces the premium that EU GMP certification must entail and makes it more difficult to distinguish domestically grown product from processed imports at the point of sale.

To each his own
Joao does not believe that other European countries can take Portugal’s place in the old continent’s cannabis industry. “This is simply because it’s not one thing for a country to be active in one sector and then push out another. It’s an open market, everyone participates at different levels.” As a neighbor, Joao cites Spain as an example. The country currently has less than ten licensed producers and has yet to build the export infrastructure or regulatory track required by the markets. “I don’t see Spain coming and taking over,” he says. “Both Spain and Portugal will take market share. Operators with established contracts will continue to move product. After that, it’s about quality and price.”

Denmark, he says, is an immediate competitive variable, producing significant quantities and moving into European markets with momentum. Portugal is currently among the top three to five exporters to Germany and has established positions in Australia, Israel and the United Kingdom. “This reflects accumulated capacity rather than regulatory time, and it’s not something that goes away because a processor loses its license,” he says.

A common European pricing policy, along the lines of the state-controlled model in France, is a mechanism that the industry should collectively push for. Without this, individual producers are left to absorb the cost pressures of suppliers operating on a scale that European policy has no current framework for. “We should aim to have good flowers,” he says. “We must not aim to demolish Portugal.”

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The UK cannabis market has grown steadily over the past five years, although not always in the way operators had hoped. New brands and imported products have driven much of the expansion, while domestic cultivation has slowed. Alexander Mountain has seen this from the inside long before most people in the industry knew it existed. “I’ve been waiting for this since 2009,” says the founder of growing consultancy Trichome Solutions.

Regulations, compliance, EU-GMP requirements, all of which have made getting a facility off the ground a multi-year exercise. “I’ve worked with organizations and seen firsthand that it takes three, four, even five years to get going,” says Alexander. “It’s a tough market to break into in the UK, which in itself slows down the overall maturation.” The last six months, however, have brought about a change. “There are now clear goals and programs for business. An almost militant approach to protocols. It’s starting to feel like the rest of the EU and Canada.”

© Trichome Solutions

Capitalization and cultivation
Early investment in cannabis in the UK came largely from private capital, and the gap between capitalization and cultivation know-how cost many operators dearly. Consultants were brought in to design and build the facilities, but rarely stayed to operate them. The result was a facility that had to be rebuilt almost as soon as it opened. “A lot of adjustments, changes in workflows, logistical expansion,” says Alexander. “This, of course, requires more capital. This delays profitability and, in some cases, leads to employee burnout.” The model he believes in is the owner-operator structure that has worked in markets such as the US, Canada and Thailand.

In terms of cultivation, genetic selection and post-harvest are where Alexander gives most of his attention. Seasonal changes in the UK favor indoor parameters where possible, although low-light greenhouses have worked for some operators with adequate supplementary lighting. Getting the right genetics for the specific market drives early success and patient retention. Post-harvest, however, he believes the sector is constantly underestimating. “I focus a lot on preserving the plant material and maintaining its chemical profile, particularly cannabinoids, terpenes and volatile sulfur,” he says. “Even simple things, like having enough space to dry properly, seem like common sense. But unless you’ve actually done it, you don’t always realize how important those details are to the quality of the final product.”

UK cannabis demand
Patient demand in the UK has been shaped by the equity market, and licensed operators are working to close this gap. The dynamics here are different from other markets. In Germany and Canada, THC content drives purchasing decisions. In the UK, Alexander is seeing more focus on taste, aromas and the overall experience. “With the amount of choices coming in through imports, people are finding their own strains and becoming more selective,” he says. Closing this gap, in his opinion, involves the farmers as much as the prescribers. “Patient education and support should come from doctors. Producers should teach them about their products. I think growers should invite prescribers more often.”

Over the next three to five years, Alexander expects reliance on imports to ease as domestic supply chains develop and the market stabilizes. He says that there will be operators who come out from the other side, specialized ones. R&D, heritage genetics, premium indoor and post-harvest optimization. “We are now working in the international cannabis industry,” he says. “With comparisons, going on a flight, there is no room for complacency. The operators who find their niche and really excel in it will be the ones who build a strong identity and remain competitive in the cannabis space.”

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The mayor of Washington DC is proposing medical marijuana companies partner with local breweries and distilleries to produce cannabis-infused and non-alcoholic beverages for sale in the nation’s capital.

Under the partnership envisioned by Mayor Muriel Bowser’s (D) Medical Cannabis Beverage Products Amendment Act of 2026, alcohol companies can apply for a medical cannabis production endorsement at a cost of $500 per year to manufacture cannabis beverages, and medical marijuana companies can apply for a $1,000 annual endorsement to import cannabinoids for production.

All beverages would have to be tested by a locally licensed laboratory, and there would be a six percent sales tax on beverages.

“This is an opportunity to support two local industries and keep businesses in DC,” Bowser said in a press release. “We have great local brewers and distillers in our city, we have a strong medical cannabis market, and this is a new opportunity for those two markets to collaborate and create a safe, smoke-free alternative for DC patients”

Breweries and distilleries would not be able to sell cannabis beverages directly to consumers, and the finished products would instead go to medical marijuana manufacturers for testing and distribution.

Sales would be limited to registered medical cannabis patients through dispensaries, and drinks could not be purchased at bars, restaurants, liquor stores and grocery stores.

“It makes sense for the District’s medical cannabis and alcohol manufacturing industries to collaborate to produce medicinal cannabis beverages,” said Fred Moosally, director of the Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Administration. he said. “Providing a legal way for our local breweries and distilleries to use their expertise in beverage production is the next step in reaching DC’s medical cannabis market and supporting our local business ecosystem.”

A press release from the mayor’s office said the proposal “works to solve the manufacturing challenges of the medical cannabis industry while providing additional revenue for DC’s local craft beverage producers.”

“Using the existing local bottling infrastructure, DC will expand smokeless therapeutic options for medical cannabis patients, provide additional revenue for the local industry and continue to grow the District’s economy,” he said.

The legislation is now before the District of Columbia Council for consideration.

Although Congress has consistently blocked DC’s legalization of recreational marijuana sales with a pilot approved each year, local officials have worked. expand access through the existing cannabis market for example, allowing residents and even visiting tourists to self-certify without the need for a medical recommendation.