It was in the analysis made about the European market, more specifically about the countries Spain, Netherlands and Portugal, considered by Marguerite as the emerging markets in Europe, that Carlos Nunes, founder of Pangolin Solutions, was interviewed:

«Portugal’s liberal approach to cannabis, at least compared to other European countries, has created a medical industry pioneered by Tilray, predominantly for export to Germany. Many of these farmers have backgrounds that include growing crops like tomatoes.

The cannabis licensing system is under the control of the National Authority of Medicines and Health Products, I.P., or Infarmed, which issues cultivation licenses that must be renewed annually. The state determines the number of licenses on an as-needed basis. Hemp as well as higher-THC medically certified cannabis are included in the licensing system.

In addition, there are regulations about both indoor and outdoor growing. Medical cannabis must follow the strictures of international pharmaceutical standards. Hemp must be grown outside and cultivated on plots larger than five hectares with a plant offtake that must exceed 30 kilograms per hectare.

Carlos Nunes, the chief financial officer of Pangolin, a Portuguese consulting firm that helps cultivators and manufacturers get their licenses for medical grade (EU GMP) cannabis, is on the front lines of this discussion. “It’s easier for anyone who has experience in the agricultural sector to get a medical cannabis cultivation license, but they also have to have a lot of money to start an EU GMP compliant business,” he said. “This is usually the largest barrier traditional farmers face and smaller farmers often have a harder time to get through this by themselves. So I would say this is clearly a significant barrier, but not insurmountable.”»

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