In one of the most newsworthy weeks in living memory, with the global economy teetering on the edge of a full meltdown amid the Trump administration’s toing and froing on ‘reciprocal’ tariffs, little attention has been paid to the world of cannabis.
Since April began, several notable changes have occurred in some of Europe’s biggest cannabis markets.
The industry has kept up with the rapid pace of global news, from the German coalition agreement to the Dutch cannabis pilot expansion and the Czech Republic medical cannabis market.
German coalition agreement on cannabis, but still no law
After the CDU/CSU, which is mainly anti-cannabis, won the majority of seats in the federal elections, the German and global cannabis industries have been eagerly awaiting the outcome.
This week, with speculation at a fever pitch and increased pressure on CDU Leader Friedrich Merz for a coalition government to be formed amid a growing global trade conflict, it has been announced that the CDU, under expectations, reached a consensus deal with center-left Social Democrats.
In a news conference on Wednesday, April 09, Merz declared that Germany was ‘back on track’, and now had a ‘government that is capable of action and strong’.
The fate of Germany’s CanG Act was not mentioned in the flurry of announcements. This left more questions than it answered.
In the autumn, the new coalition says it plans to ‘conduct an open-ended evaluation of the law’. Even without the coalition agreement, it is important to note that a review would have taken place within this time frame even if there had not been a new coalition.
Although the CDU/CSU made a promise during the election to roll back cannabis reforms the CDU/CSU may not have been able to get such measures through its new partners. These were the forces behind CanG.
The documents that were seen by ReutersCDU will take over the foreign and economy ministries, as well as chancellery. SPD will be in charge of finance and defense.
There is no information yet on who will be running the Ministry of Health. This Ministry has a large influence over cannabis policy.
Malta will impose new restrictions on cannabis
Rebecca Buttigieg announced several proposed amendments to Malta’s cannabis legislation after becoming one of the European Union’s first countries to decriminalize adult cannabis use in 2021.
The measures, announced earlier this week during the second reading of Bill 128 in Parliament, have already proven divisive, with some welcoming them as long-overdue improvements and others calling them ‘extreme measures’ that ‘turn back the clock’.
Most significantly, offences committed by Malta’s ‘Cannabis Harm Reduction Associations’ (CHRAs), non-profit cannabis clubs akin to those seen in Germany, would now be tried in Magistrates Court, rather than by a tribunal.
In effect, minor violations of regulations would be upgraded to formal criminal offences.
ReLeaf, a non-profit organization, is calling for an urgent meeting to discuss proposed changes in the law that, amongst other things, would give government access the data of members of marijuana clubs.#maltahttps://t.co/YTDOriCioi
— Releaf Malta (@Releafmalta) April 8, 2025
Buttigieg says that the changes reflect serious regulatory failures at organizations but will not affect cannabis users in Malta, as they are protected under Maltese Law.
In this way, the Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis(ARUC), which currently regulates CHRAs would receive new enforcement power to target commercial stores operating without a permit.
In addition to tighter CHRA zone restrictions, the government has proposed new measures that will better distinguish between psychoactive and nonpsychoactive hemp, as well as prevent unreported intoxicating cannabis substances.
Releaf Malta has expressed grave concerns over the removal of privacy clauses for club members.
According to the existing law, CHRAs are required to report aggregated data “without providing their details” (without revealing any of their information). This clause would be removed in the proposed revision, giving the government access to the individual member data. ReLeaf claims that this will increase stigma and undermine the trust already built into the system.
The Netherlands begins the next phase in its cannabis experiment
In December 2023, the Netherlands launched the first phase of its highly-anticipated and long-delayed ‘controlled cannabis supply chain experiment’, seeing its famous coffee shops in Breda and Tilburg beginning sales of legally grown cannabis for the first time.
This experiment is aimed at transforming the country’s coffee shops from using cannabis from the illegal market to professionally grown and legal products.
These 10 growers were officially named at the close of 2020. They had overcome numerous obstacles including finding investors, opening bank accounts, securing building permits, and more.
The participating retailers have been faced with a shortage in supply due to these legal sources.
In response, the government allowed for a ‘transitional’ phase, where legally sourced cannabis could be sold alongside illicitly grown cannabis to ensure demand was met.
The transition period ended this week (7 April), meaning that the 80 or so coffee shops cannot sell products not coming from 10 licensed producers.
Despite this, one exemption is still applicable to the hash product market. However, producers are struggling to meet demand and fill their supply chain. In two months, this exemption will expire.
Czech Republic increases access to Medical Cannabis
By December 2024 MEDCAN24 It was reported that the Czech Ministry of Health published a decree that would ease restrictions placed on doctors who prescribe medical marijuana.
This law officially entered into force on the first of this month. It means that all of the country’s about 5000 general physicians can now request a license to prescribe medicinal cannabis.
Although it was one of the very first countries in the world to legalize medical marijuana, the market suffered numerous bottlenecks. For example, only specialists could prescribe for a small range of diseases.
This new law will break the severe bottleneck but there are still major obstacles to patient access.
At this time, the GPs are only allowed to prescribe cannabis as a treatment for chronic pain. The fact that they can do this does not guarantee their compliance.
Lukas Hurt was the editor of Konopi Magazine as well as the manager of CzecHemp in Czechia. Cannabis Health When the law was passed, it suggested there is still a serious lack of knowledge amongst the medical community. Many GPs are also cautious about medical cannabis, especially older ones.
In addition, doctors are restricted in the number of medical marijuana patients that they accept. Many specialists remain unable to prescribe it.
Cannabis Law Resources in Poland
Browse essential legal pages on cannabis sales and cultivation in Poland. You can use these resources to learn about the requirements for certification, permission, and compliance.
Polish News Registration and Interests of Cannabis Businesses
Permissions for Cannabis Sales in Poland
Authorization for Importing or Manufacturing Medical Products
Permission for Manufacturing or Importing Medical Products
Certificate of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
Registration of Medical Products in Poland