BERLIN, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- The first harvest of medical cannabis in Germany is expected in the fourth quarter of 2020, the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) announced on Monday.
At the moment, Germany is importing all of its medical cannabis but imports will continue to "be possible" in the future, according to BfArM. Medical cannabis is intended to "contribute to the care of critically ill patients."
A total of 79 companies have submitted their bids in the ongoing tender that covers 10,400 kilograms of cannabis over a period of four years and Germany's drug authority is in the process of evaluating the bids. The contract is to be awarded in the second quarter of 2019, BfArM announced.
In view of the increasing number of patients that required medicinal cannabis, Germany's drug authority increased the total quantity from the original 6,600 kilograms to the current level.
Global trade in legal cannabis is booming. According to estimates by U.S. market research company BDS Analytics, total worldwide demand for dried cannabis could more than triple between 2017 and 2022.
On Sunday, the Israeli government announced a new law, allowing the export of medical cannabis to the global market. According to the country's Ministry of Health, producers will receive export approval within six to nine months.
