UK & Europe
In-depth coverage of regulatory change and licensing frameworks across the UK & EU.
UK & Europe · page 2
- CBD Market
French Trade Groups Prepare For Key CBD Ruling
Despite the Council of State knocking back its initial attempt to derail the French authorities’ latest crackdown on CBD, the head of the trade groups fighting the ban remain upbeat on its chances of success.
- Patient Access
Germany’s Medical Cannabis Insurance Reform Descends Into Chaos as Regulators Turn on Each Other
Last month, the German government passed a controversial cost-saving law that saw tens of thousands of patients denied access medical cannabis to flower reimbursed through statutory health insurance (GKV).
- UK & Europe
New Report: Germany’s Cannabis Market Crosses €1.15bn as Reimbursement Era Ends
Germany’s medical cannabis market reached approximately €1.15bn in 2026, with private self-pay prescriptions now generating around 75% of total market value, according to a new whitepaper published today by Business of Cannabis and Prohibition Partners.
- UK & Europe
Spain’s Tobacco Crackdown Could Quietly Wipe Out Its Cannabis Clubs
Last week, Spain’s government approved a draft tobacco law that never once mentions cannabis, yet could dismantle the everyday activity of the country’s thriving cannabis social clubs.
- Patient Access
‘Everything in Our Power’: German Patient Groups Fight to Overturn Cannabis Insurance Cuts
Earlier this month (July 10, 2026), the German government voted through a sweeping set of provisions set to significantly impact medical cannabis patients who have their prescriptions covered by their statutory health insurance.
- Opinion
Opinion: New Labour Administration Can End Britain’s Failed Cannabis Experiment
Written by Omar Khan, Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer, High Tide Inc.
- Opinion
Patients First: What Training the Police Taught Me About Medical Cannabis
As new national guidance instructs officers to treat medical cannabis users as patients first, James Duckenfield, CEO of Glass Pharms, reflects on what training police forces has taught him about the gap between the law and the general understanding of the legal landscape, and how the industry as a whole can help close it.
- Patient Access
Germany Bans Cannabis Flowers from GKV and Mandates Six-Month Trial for Extracts
Germany has today voted to ban medical cannabis flower from its statutory health insurance scheme, in a controversial move critics say will have an outsized impact on the ‘seriously ill’.
- Cultivation
‘No Right to GMP Washing’: German State Challenges Cannabis Flower Import Compliance
Authorities from the German state of Hesse have taken aim at the practice of ‘GMP washing’ in its thriving medical cannabis market, an intervention that could have significant implications for the industry at large.
- Medical Cannabis
France Breaks Medical Cannabis Deadlock as Reimbursement Decree Filed for Legal Review
France’s incoming generalised medical cannabis framework has edged tantalisingly close to clearing its last remaining hurdle, as the outstanding decree governing the reimbursement of cannabis medicines has been submitted to France’s highest administrative court.
- UK & Europe
Ireland’s Cross-Party Drug Committee Calls for Full Decriminalisation. The Government Has Already Said No
Ireland’s Oireachtas Joint Committee on Drugs Use has recommended the full decriminalisation of personal possession of all drugs, calling on the government to repeal Section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977.
- Medical Cannabis
France Sets July Deadline for Medical Cannabis Regulations as Withheld Study Shows Opioid Reductions
France’s health minister has confirmed to Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the delayed regulatory texts needed to push through its incoming generalised medical cannabis market will be published next month (July 2026).
