In this short podcast series we, the socio-economic group, interviewed experts of the different intersections identified by us on the topic of medical Cannabis. How have societal norms as well as legal aspects and instruments influenced current actors and their interests and even whole markets in the course of history and the current state of the Cannabis/medical legalization? We recognized the hot discussions going on in the field of medical Cannabis and identified problems such as a lack of education among doctors and the public/prejudice especially.
To understand the changing role Cannabis is currently playing, the CRC podcast invited experts of each field to talk about medical Cannabis. We’ve hosted an expert on legal issues, a medical specialist, as well as medical Cannabis producers in Germany. We learned first hand about the licencing process and market aspects in Europe and the many difficulties along the way. As a bonustrack, members of the CRC production group are giving an insight into the practical laboratory work they conducted as part of the research class.
All interviews were conducted in January and February 2021 via the online meeting tool Zoom.
The socio-economic group consists of students with interdisciplinary background in Law, Horticultural Sciences as well as Integrated Natural Resources Management.
The group would like to thank all interview partners for their interest to participate in this podcast series and the pleasant conversations.
1. Kai-Friedrich Niermann (Lawyer) [German]
Kai-Friedrich Niermann is a lawyer and consultant for organizations and companies on issues relating to commercial and contract law. Furthermore, he is a member of several associations including the international association of lawyers, which is supposed to advise on cannabis and the German Hemp Association. In his blog canna-biz.legal, he reports on legal issues and the sale of the plant. He regularly speaks at international events and conferences, publishes articles on online-platforms and advises producers on medical cannabis and CBD.
As an expert on legal, but also historical and economic topics related to medicinal hemp, he talks about cannabis-prohibition, legal changes in recent years, both in Germany and in international comparison and its significance for the future.
2. Dr. Cornelius Maurer (Demecan) [German]
In this Podcast, we welcome Dr. Cornelius Maurer, who is a trained economist and co-founder of DEMECAN, DEMECAN being an abbreviation for Deutsches Medizinalcannabis. This German company, which specializes in the production of Cannabis for medical use, was founded in 2017 with the aim of ensuring a stable supply of pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis for patients in Germany.
The company is one of three, along with Aurora and Aphria, that has been awarded a contract to grow medical cannabis in Germany.
This podcast examines the genesis of Demecan, the process it undertook to receive its license to produce medical cannabis, the market for medical cannabis more generally, Germany as a producer and possible exporter of medical cannabis, and the relationship a company like Demecan has to researchers and the public.
3. Prof. Dr. Kirsten Müller Vahl (Medical specialist) [German]
Prof. Dr. Kirsten Müller-Vahl is a senior physician in the Department of Clinical Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Center for Mental Health of the Hannover Medical School. She heads the Tourette consultation there and, as a member of the scientific advisory board of the “Tourette-Gesellschaft Deutschland e.V.”, is one of the leading medical experts in her field.
Prof. Müller-Vahl is also a board member of the “Arbeitsgemeinschaft Cannabis als Medizin” (ACM). Since 2016, she has also been a member of the Expert Committee on Narcotics of the Federal Opium Agency of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices and has advised the Committee on Health of the German Bundestag in the context of the hearing on the new “Cannabis Law”.
In this interview, she talks to us about the hurdles to the use of medical cannabis, possible research perspectives and the difficulties of the current legal situation.
4. Marianne Hundtofte Nielsen (Aurora) [English]
Our international guest Marianne Hundtofte Nielsen, Vice President of Business Development & Medical Affairs at Aurora Europe, joins us to discuss the state of the medicinal cannabis market in Europe, and Germany in particular. How are regulations in Germany changing to allow for more research into, and more adoption of, cannabis for medical purposes? How closely are Germany and other European countries following the path that Canada and the United States have set for expanded access to medical cannabis? And she tells us a little bit about why Aurora, a Canadian company, is confident that cannabis has a bright future in Europe.
5. Production group [German]
The guests of the final podcast are members of the cannabis research class. Thomas, Adele and Daniel worked in the production group within the research class. They are reporting on their practical experiments and their personal experiences within the class.