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EHIA pushes for whole plant recognition and 1% THC threshold

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The European Industrial Hemp Association has welcomed the European Commission’s proposal to clarify that all parts of the hemp plant fall within the EU’s agricultural scope, while reiterating its call for a harmonized THC threshold of 1%, in line with the ongoing review of the Common Agricultural Policy and the review of the Common Market Organization Regulation (EU) 1308/2013.

In its position paper entitled The hemp sector proposal for the 2028–2032 NPB, the EIHA set out a set of reforms aimed at strengthening legal certainty, competitiveness and sustainability for the European hemp sector. The proposals are expected to be debated in both the Council and Parliament in the coming months.

Recognition of the entire plant
EIHA expressed strong support for the Commission’s plan to expressly recognize all parts of the hemp plant, including leaves and flowers, as agricultural raw materials derived from authorized varieties. The association says this clarification is essential to end persistent legal uncertainty for farmers and processors, avoid divergent interpretations between member states, protect the internal market and provide clearer conditions for investment and innovation in the hemp value chain.

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By formally recognizing the entire plant, the EU would resolve longstanding inconsistencies that have plagued the sector and promote greater regulatory uniformity.

1% THC threshold
Along with whole-plant recognition, EIHA continues to advocate for a harmonized EU-wide THC threshold of 1% for industrial hemp. The current limit of 0.3%, they say, no longer reflects agronomic and climatic reality. Environmental changes can push the crops they combine beyond their limits, exposing growers despite good faith farming practices.

According to EIHA, the 1% threshold would provide legal certainty and reduce climate-related crop losses, expand the EU variety catalog and improve seed availability, support research, breeding and innovation, align EU standards with international benchmarks and maintain a clear line between industrial hemp and narcotic cannabis. Industrial hemp cultivated below 1% THC remains non-intoxicating, and continues to meet consumer protections through EU legislation regulating THC levels in final products.

Francesco Mirizzi, the managing director of the EIHA, stated that the first practical steps must be taken to reach the 1% goal: “The first decisive step to reach the 1% limit is to sensitize the members of the EU Parliament and the national ministers that 0.3% does not make sense from an agronomic point of view and if we compare the EU’s vision with the countries that are more advanced, if we compare it with the new Switzerland. Zealand or South Africa”.

As things begin to move on the hemp side, Francesco says the timelines now begin with the first discussions in the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, although the challenges are already clear. “Discussions in the Parliamentary Agriculture Committee are expected to start next month, and member states are already debating the Commission’s proposal to allow the whole flower. Some member states are particularly reluctant, but we are confident that we will get there.”

EIHA says it stands ready to work constructively with EU institutions and Member States to ensure that the post-2027 NPB provides long-awaited clarity and competitiveness to the European hemp sector.

For more information:
European Industrial Hemp Association
(email protected)
eiha.org/

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Tilray Medical announces commercial launch of medical cannabis in Panama

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Tilray Medical has announced the launch of its first medical cannabis product in Panama, part of the company’s continued global expansion and commitment to improving patient access to pharmaceutical grade cannabinoids worldwide.

Following the successful shipment of Tilray Oral Solution CBD100 from Tilray Medical’s EU-GMP certified production facilities in Portugal through a joint venture with Solana Life Group S. de RL, the Product is to be distributed through Farmacias Arrocha, one of the leading pharmaceutical chains in Panama, where patients will be able to access Tilray Oral Solution CBD with medical prescription100. This is expected to provide patients and healthcare professionals with access to regulated medical cannabis of pharmaceutical quality through established healthcare channels.

Rajnish Ohri, International President, Tilray Brands, said: “At Tilray Medical, we believe that every patient deserves access to safe, consistent, pharmaceutical-grade cannabis products. The launch in Panama reflects our broader vision to expand access to cannabinoid-based medicines around the world. We want pharmacists and patients to help shape the future of responsible access, advance medical education and provide high-quality treatment options that improve lives.”

The launch supports the Panamanian medical cannabis framework established by Law 242 of 2021 and follows important regulatory advances made by the Ministry of Health, including No. 0406 of May 12, 2026. The decision, which established the main conditions for the admission of patients. The Ministry also recently introduced the System for the Identification of Medical Cannabis Users and Authorized Caregivers (SIUCMAA), creating a structured way to authorize medical practitioners and register patients.

Manufactured in Portugal under strict European Union Good Manufacturing Practice (EU-GMP) standards, Tilray Oral Solution CBD100 is intended for use in patients with qualified medical conditions permitted under Panamanian law, where permitted. The products reflect Tilray Medical’s longstanding commitment to pharmaceutical quality, product consistency, patient safety and regulatory compliance.

Tilray Medical’s advanced cultivation and manufacturing facilities in Portugal serve as a strategic global export hub, supplying EU-GMP certified medical cannabis products to regulated markets worldwide. The platform enables Tilray Medical to effectively support growing international demand while maintaining the highest pharmaceutical manufacturing standards across its global operations.

For more information:
Tilray
www.tilray.com

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Medical Marijuana Is ‘Effective’ In Providing Relief To Patients With Restless Legs Syndrome, Study Shows

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People with restless leg syndrome (RLS) may find “significant” long-term relief with cannabis treatment, according to a new study.

While dopamine agonists have traditionally been the “first-line treatment” for RLS, recent studies indicate that gabapentinoids are now being recommended, the researchers said. Because cannabinoids, like gabapentinoids, inhibit a certain type of amino acid associated with the disorder, scientists decided to test their therapeutic effectiveness.

The open-label exploratory study, conducted by European researchers at the University of Madrid and published in the Journal of Neurology, found that a cannabis product containing 2.7 mg of THC and 2.5 mg of CBD was “effective in reducing RLS severity” among patients with multiple sclerosis and “associated idiopathic RLS.”

“Improvements were observed after 1 to 3 months of treatment and were maintained after 1 year among patients who continued therapy,” the study of 18 patients with RLS showed. For those who remained in treatment after a year, 67 percent “continued to show sustained improvement.”

The the findings it may not be surprising that cannabis in particular is known to reduce the severity of muscle spasms and related conditions, but its effectiveness for RLS is remarkable given that no state specifically lists it as a condition for medical cannabis.

Of course, RLS can be a symptom of other general disorders like multiple sclerosis, and some states give doctors more latitude to make recommendations for medical marijuana for any condition they see fit.

In any case, research outside of Spain could be based on research into alternative treatment options that could replace dopamine agonists in the treatment of restless legs syndrome.

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Wyoming AG keeps cannabis on Schedule I, rejects federal reclassification

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Wyoming Attorney General Keith Kautz announced on July 7 that he would keep all marijuana products in Schedule I of Wyoming’s Controlled Substances Act, refusing to align the state’s cannabis policy with the federal reorganization order issued earlier this year.

Kautz, who also serves as Wyoming’s drug and substance abuse commissioner, held a public hearing on June 18 after filing an objection to aligning the state’s cannabis schedule with a federal amendment on May 27. State law requires the commissioner to give interested parties an opportunity to be heard after that objection, but only nine people responded. Four email comments supported leaving cannabis as a Schedule I drug, four as Schedule III. It was approved for use and one person attended the hearing to request that cannabis remain in Schedule I.

His decision follows an April 2026 order signed by U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche that bans state-licensed medical cannabis, FDA-approved cannabis products, cannabis extracts and naturally derived delta-9 THC III.

Kautz’s office says: “After consideration of all stakeholder comments, the commissioner has determined that all marijuana products, including marijuana subject to the state’s medical marijuana license, will remain in Schedule I of the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act.”

His announcement adds, “The decision to reschedule medical marijuana and marijuana products is an important policy decision that is best left to the Wyoming Legislature and should not be made through administrative rule.”

Wyoming remains one of eight states without a medical cannabis program. A December 2020 poll by the University of Wyoming’s Wyoming Center for Polling and Analysis found that 85 percent of state residents support legalizing medical cannabis, despite a failed 2024 ballot initiative effort. Possession of three ounces or less carries up to 12 months in prison under current state law, and selling any amount is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Kautz says his office will “properly schedule products approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration once that agency has approved the product,” pointing to the Schedules II and III listings of Cesamet and Dronabinol as evidence that the state complies with federal cannabinoid drug law.










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