Symposium on medical cannabis: From plant to patient

Medical cannabis has been developing rapidly to a significant industry in Denmark. Since the launch of a four-year pilot period, several companies were established along the value chain from breeding, production, processing and development of medical products.

Development of the industry will continue to accelerate as exports have started. The first movers are scaling up while new entrants to the industry attempt to establish themselves in this dynamic industry. Building on a strong regulatory framework that encourages high standards and open competition, Denmark is establishing a leading position that draws on traditional strengths in biotechnology and applied research.

The symposium is a good opportunity to be updated with new knowledge about breeding, production, processing and clinical studies. It is a good place to meet other actors and to establish new collaborations.

See the programme and sign up using this link.

Yet as much as the permanent framework provides stability for the industry, a new threat emerges from lower-cost production elsewhere in Europe (and beyond), commodification, rising standards, stops and starts along the road towards commercial operations, and – most important of all – a continued demand for rigorous data on the effectiveness of medical cannabis.

The solution to these threats depend on research and innovation.

Partnerships across the ecosystem are emerging in areas like breeding, sustainable production methods, and clinical research, while more partnerships are needed to close gaps in knowledge. Denmark is an international powerhouse in the pharma and advanced horticulture sector and has a well-established framework for public-private partnerships in research. There are good examples of collaboration between value chain partners, but more integration is needed across the entire ecosystem to meet the demands of the industry.

The time you spend on this event will be used as co-financing of the project "Innovationskraft", which is supported by the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science.