As the vibrant city of Barcelona gears up for the renowned Spannabis Week, a pivotal moment for the European cannabis community is on the horizon. This event serves as a melting pot for stakeholders...
Cannabinoids
Alberto Sainz is a clinical and behavioral scientist with a background in psychology and neurosciences, whilst also specializing in the psychopharmacology of cannabis. Alberto is based in Barcelona and is part of the Broughton Human Studies team. Here, following on from his attendance at Spannabis 2024, he shares his key takeaways from the event.
While spring starts in March, summer starts with Spannabis in Barcelona. Or at least that is what more than 30,000 attendees experienced between the 13th and 17th of March, with temperatures at around 20 degrees. Amongst the plethora of cannabis events throughout the week, the CannabisHub, International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC), Spannabis and the World Cannabis Conference stood out as the main attractions.
The CannabisHub, an initiative by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia is a hub for organizations, companies, and other institutions to promote education, research, and development around the cannabis plant and its multiple uses. As every year, CannabisHub organized the “CDays,” a series of talks and workshops to identify the current challenges and potential strategies related to education, regulation, medical cannabis, and innovation.
The ICBC is a business-to-business oriented event with a high international attendance where investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers meet to discuss the latest challenges for the industry around the world.
This year, I was invited to participate in the ICBC roundtable panel on the subject of “Emerging research on cannabis.” The panel was led by Alex Revich (Hybrid Pharm) and included Božidar Radišič (Research Nature Institute), Justin Tombe (The Talman Group), Rui Soares (Paralab), and myself. Our discussion was focused on the importance of cannabis research, from plant cultivation technology to clinical trials. We were all in agreement that research is needed to develop high-quality products and to understand both the potential consequences of using cannabis as well as its potential therapeutic effects. Key factors for good research, alternative methods to generate clinical evidence outside the classic clinical trial approach, how to educate the general population, and the importance of training medical doctors were also discussed.
Other panels at the ICBC event discussed topics related to the legal situation of cannabis in Europe and how the coming recreational use regulation in Germany might spread to other countries, differences in medical legislation across Europe and the US, as well as the current situation in Latin America.
Spannabis itself kicked off on the 15th of March, attracting thousands of people to its 200 stands spanning 18,000 square meters. From cannabis seed companies to cutting-edge technology and medical clinics, exhibitors showcased their latest offerings. The outside patio was hustling due to the amazing weather and the World Cannabis Conferences also attracted large crowds. This year the topics were around the expectation of German recreational cannabis regulation, the situation of medical cannabis in Spain, and scientific, educational, and cultural topics around cannabis and psychedelics.
While Germany is in the spotlight, some voices are calling for patience as apparently, regulation might be delayed from the expected date, which is April 1st. In any case, the cannabis industry is still growing and getting prepared for further regulatory changes, including the forthcoming Medical Cannabis program in Spain and the expected re-scheduling from Schedule I to Schedule III in the United States.
For more information on how Broughton can help bring your medicinal cannabis products to market, visit our website - https://www.broughton-group.com/cannabinoids
