The beginning of the new year means exciting news and new opportunities. Most of us hope for healthy changes and a better future.

When it comes to cannabis, 2020 is expected to bring many new reforms and possible positive changes worldwide. But how are things in Europe?

Europe’s hemp farmers report that they feel pressured by the extremely tight THC regulations. Ever since 1999, the THC content of hemp is only allowed to be 0.2%, and this hasn’t changed so far.

This has a negative and limiting impact on the range of cannabis strains that the farmers can grow. As of November 2019, that number estimates only 72, since the farmers have to choose strains that can grow well within their local environments. But this also means that restricting the type of strains cultivated also results in weaker gene pools, and as we all know, quality is what matters the most, and no one would opt for cannabis products that contain toxins.

It’s been reported that, according to the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) in a paper regarding Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform, hemp producers were allowed to cultivate seeds with 0.3% THC from 1976 through 1999. This same limit has been used internationally as well, but the 0.1% increase doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a wonderful case of progress. Farmers would need a higher cap increase, which would help them choose from more cannabis strains to grow.

In Germany, the Administrative Court rules that CBD can’t be sold as food without being verified as a “novel food” because the European Union says that products that are designated as “novel food” should be those that weren’t consumed significantly before 1997.

In England and Wales, however, the CBD-based medications have been finally approved! These changes have been made after two high-profile cases of young kids who had been medicating with CBD for their life-threatening conditions. The bad side of this case is that cannabis medications will only be allowed for use on two rare types of childhood epilepsy, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, as well as multiple sclerosis.

This year, we can expect more European Cannabis Companies to go public finally. According to a top industry analyst, there’s good news for investors who want to invest in European cannabis companies. They will be able to invest in as much as five companies. This means that the European cannabis industry will become more active over time. Although it has not been as active as North America’s industry, there is a bright future in sight!

Currently, we are aware of only very few cannabis companies in Europe that have gone public as it’s currently restricted to small capitalizations. However, it is important to understand that going public is a challenge for pot companies in Europe. Europe is known to have very complex policies and regulations still, especially when it comes to CBD. But we are all hoping that things will finally start to take a more progressive turn and that soon Europe will provide better options for the public!