The cannabis industry is in the midst of a worldwide revolution and is continuing to evolve from a patchwork of individual, siloed markets to an increasingly connected international web. That was already true, to a degree, before 2020. However, in late 2020, the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) voted to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. It was a major milestone, with the CND finally recognizing the medicinal and therapeutic benefits of cannabis.
More countries are allowing medical cannabis products to be imported and exported now than ever before, with Germany serving as the most noteworthy example of the rise of the global medical cannabis industry. Medical cannabis sales through the nation’s pharmacies began in 2017, and since then, Germany has become home to the largest legal medical cannabis market in Europe and a top destination for medical cannabis from other nations.
Germany’s Import Boom Signals Market Maturity
Germany’s Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) regularly publishes medical cannabis import data, with the BfArM website currently listing data for all of the 2024 calendar year and the first three quarters of 2025.
According to BfArM, in the first quarter of 2024, Germany’s legal medical cannabis industry imported 8.143 tonnes of medical cannabis products, which was an impressive sum at the time. However, the import total jumped to 37.688 tonnes one year later during the first quarter of 2025, and rose to 56.915 tonnes in the third quarter of 2025.
A deeper dive into the BfArM data provides a breakdown of where the medical cannabis products were imported from and the amounts. Below are the top sources and amounts between the period of Q1 2024 through Q3 2025:
Canada — 99.392 tonnes
Portugal — 59.306 tonnes
Denmark — 14.64 tonnes
North Macedonia — 8.431 tonnes
Spain — 6.015 tonnes
A Continent-Wide Medical Expansion
Other European nations are also experiencing an increase in legal medical cannabis imports and exports. As jurisdictions continue to modernize their medical cannabis laws and regulations, Europe will remain the top continent for industry activity. Medical cannabis is now widely accepted throughout much of Europe, and individual markets are booming.
One of the many examples is in Czechia, where the legal medical cannabis market grew by an estimated 46% in 2025. Many other European nations are also experiencing significant growth, and countries like Slovenia are on the cusp of substantial expansion.
Adult-Use Legalization Gains Ground
In addition to medical cannabis activity, Europe is also home to more countries that have adopted national adult-use cannabis legalization measures than any other continent. Currently, Uruguay, Canada, Malta, Luxembourg, Germany, South Africa, and Czechia have adopted national recreational legalization measures.
More than half of those are European countries. Furthermore, adult-use cannabis commerce pilot trials are operating in the Netherlands and Switzerland, with Switzerland expected to adopt a national legalization measure soon, which will further add to the continent’s industry momentum.
Why Capital and Operators Are Looking East
Entrepreneurs, investors, and service providers are scrambling to gain or increase their footprints in Europe, and understandably so. In addition to progressive cannabis policies and a rapidly expanding industry, Europe holds tremendous potential due to its population size. Comparatively, Europe has nearly twice the population of the United States and Canada combined.
The two best ways to learn more about Europe’s emerging markets and to network with European industry leaders are by joining me in attending the International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) in Berlin and becoming a member of The Talman Group.
ICBC Berlin is Europe’s largest and longest-running cannabis B2B event with a rich history and over 80 countries represented at the unparalleled annual industry gathering. The Talman Group is Europe’s largest cannabis industry investing network, and we regularly host intimate investor events in multiple European markets.
Attend ICBC Berlin and join The Talman Group if you want to save a lot of time and effort and take your European cannabis industry pursuits to the next level.
