Sunny Portugal Now Path to EU Medical Marijuana

 

For years, the Portuguese¹ city of Cantanhede has been known for its wine products and roasted suckling pig, a local specialty². But the city has something new: Portugal’s first medical cannabis production farm.

The cannabis plant produces cannabinoids – chemical compounds used in treating health disorders³. Parts of the plant are used to make the drug marijuana as well as a number of products containing the compounds CBD and THC.

Portugal’s sunny weather is ideal for growing cannabis. The weather caught the attention of Brendan Kennedy. He is Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian company Tilray, one of the world’s largest producers of medical cannabis.

Kennedy traveled around Europe from 2015 to 2017 in search of the perfect place for Tilray’s newest production facility. Not only did Portugal have the ideal climate, but Kennedy also liked the country’s agricultural industry and young, educated workforce⁴.

Infarmed is the Portuguese government agency on medicines and health products. In 2017, the agency approved Tilray’s request to start a medical cannabis farm, which covers 2.4 hectares in a biotechnology park outside Cantanhede.

Tilray then hurried to import its first baby plants and recently reported its first two successful cannabis harvests.

Kennedy opened the facility to visitors for the first time at a ceremony last week.

“Some of our competitors are located in Denmark and northern Germany, where there isn’t that much sun. So we think we can produce a more environmentally-friendly product here,” he told Reuters news agency.

By having the farm in Portugal, Tilray’s products are tax-free within the European Union, or EU. That is the market the company is targeting as other EU governments legalize medical marijuana.

On legalization

Kennedy noted⁵ that Europe is moving toward legalization, and the demand for medical marijuana is growing. He is hopeful that, over the next two years, “We will see every country in Europe legalizing it.”

Last year, Portugal’s parliament approved a bill to legalize marijuana-based medicines. The move followed the legalization of such drugs in countries like Italy, Germany, Canada and parts of the United States. Britain made medical marijuana legal in July 2018.

At the $22.29 million Tilray facility, cannabis is grown indoors and outdoors. The facility also has research laboratories and processing and delivery centers for medical marijuana and products made from cannabinoids.

Tilray supplies medical cannabis products with the compounds CBD and THC to patients in many countries. It also supplies these products through agreements with pharmaceutical⁶ companies.

Earlier this year, the European Parliament demanded an EU-wide policy on medical cannabis and financing for scientific research.

“We are at point where almost every doctor around the world recognizes "the medical value of cannabis, Kennedy explained.

The World Health Organization has stated that several studies showed cannabinoids can help patients with cancer and AIDS.

In addition, some drug makers⁷ already use chemicals from cannabis. One of them is GW Pharmaceuticals’ Sativex, which is approved for treating symptoms from the disease multiple sclerosis.

Based on information from advisory⁸ service Prohibition⁹ Partners, the EU cannabis market will be worth 123 billion euros by the year 2028.

I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

compound – n. a substance created when the atoms of two or more chemical elements join together

facility – n. something (such as a building) that is built for a specific purpose

biotechnology park – n. a facility created mainly to promote a group of small and medium biotech businesses

locate – v. to put (something or someone) in a particular place

delivery – n. the act of taking something to a person or place

pharmaceutical – adj. of or relating to the production and sale of drugs and medicine

symptom – n. a change in the body or mind which indicates that a disease is present

1 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

2 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

3 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

7 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

9 prohibition   

n.禁止；禁令，禁律

参考例句：

• The prohibition against drunken driving will save many lives.禁止酒后开车将会减少许多死亡事故。
• They voted in favour of the prohibition of smoking in public areas.他们投票赞成禁止在公共场所吸烟。