Excitement Level At ICBC Berlin Demonstrates Surging Interest In The Global Industry
On April 29th-30th, 2025, the International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) held its flagship event at the Estrel Berlin, Germany’s largest hotel and conference center. The event was nothing short of electric, and it was ICBC’s biggest and best event to date.
Interest in the emerging global cannabis industry, particularly in Germany and Europe, is experiencing exponential growth right now, and that was evident throughout ICBC’s two-day conference in Berlin. Roughly 5,000 people attended the conference, with over 80 countries and every major legal market represented. Below is an embedded after-movie video of the conference, providing a visual recap:
One readily apparent fact at the conference was that Europe has now become the top focus of industry members across the world, particularly for industry members wanting to gain a meaningful footprint in Germany’s market. As leading European policy and legal expert Peter Homberg of gunnercooke pointed out in his keynote presentation, imports of medical cannabis products to Germany nearly quadrupled in the last quarter of 2024 compared to the first quarter.
The expansion of Germany’s legal industry in recent years was accelerated in April 2024 with the adoption of the nation’s CanG law, which legalized personal cannabis cultivation, possession, and consumption by adults. The CanG law also permits adult-use cannabis associations to operate, with 211 associations having already received approval.
Arguably, the most significant component of Germany’s CanG law was the removal of cannabis from the nation’s Narcotics List. The declassification of cannabis dramatically improved Germany’s medical cannabis industry. Germany’s medical cannabis patient base is increasing in size with every passing day, as proven by the fact that more than 1 out of every 7 of the nation’s pharmacies now sell medical cannabis products.
A common theme throughout ICBC Berlin was the parallels and interplay of the Western Hemisphere’s legal markets and Europe’s emerging markets. What Europe is currently experiencing is reminiscent in various ways of what happened in North America starting in 2012 with the initial adoption of state-level legalization in the U.S. The ‘green rush’ in the U.S. and Canada provides lessons that entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and industry service providers in the Eastern Hemisphere can learn from.
Kicking off ICBC Berlin 2025 was a keynote presentation by Charlie Bachtell, CEO and Founder of Cresco Labs. Charlie Bachtell has served as Cresco Labs’ [CSE:CL] Chief Executive Officer since February 2015 after co-founding the company in 2013. Cresco Labs operates in several U.S. markets, and the insight that Mr. Bachtell provided in his presentation was invaluable for attendees.
Following Bachtell’s presentation was a keynote address by gunnercooke’s Peter Homberg. Mr. Homberg examined the current state of Germany’s industry and political landscape, including the fresh announcement of the appointments of incoming German Minister of Health Nina Warken and Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture Alois Rainer. Both incoming ministers will play a major role in shaping what happens next for Germany’s emerging industry, and with it, the wider European cannabis economy. Mr. Homberg’s thorough presentation on day 1 of ICBC Berlin 2025 could not have been more timely.
Another timely presentation was a panel discussion focusing on European pilot projects. Pilot projects are currently operating in the Netherlands and Switzerland and are also part of Germany’s legalization model. The panel was moderated by German policy expert Kai-Friedrich Niermann, Founder of KFN+ Law Office. Joining Mr. Niermann was:
- Paul-Lukas Good, President, Swiss Cannabis Research Association
- Daniel S. Hübner, Senior Science Manager, Cannabis Research Lab Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
- Finn A. Hänsel, Managing Director, Sanity Group
- Deepak Anand, Principal, ASDA Consultancy Services
Current European Union agreements prohibit national commerce models like those found in the Western Hemisphere. However, EU agreements do permit regional adult-use cannabis commerce pilot trials for public health research purposes, and the panel of leading experts analyzed current and future European pilot trials.
The next panel, moderated by Jamie Pearson, President of New Holland Group, focused on investing in the evolving global cannabis industry. Ms. Pearson was joined on the panel by:
- Raj Grover, CEO, High Tide Inc.
- Will Muecke, Co-Founder, Artemis Growth Partners
- George Bellow, Co-Founder, SOMAÍ Pharmaceuticals
- David Hyde, CEO, Hyde Advisory & Investments Inc.
- Margaret Brodie, CEO, Rubicon Organics
Effectively investing in the emerging global cannabis industry is more complex than ever, and the panel’s insights were invaluable. Additional day 1 panels and presentations included such topics as:
- Medical cannabis in Germany
- Germany’s evolving cannabis industry
- Advanced cultivation technologies
- The latest trends and innovations in cannabis logistics
- German cannabis industry data
- Establishing international brands
- Unlocking new markets
- Cannabis research
- The evolving industrial hemp industry
The first day of ICBC Berlin’s curriculum was followed by an intimate VIP after-party headlined by none other than cannabis industry and culture icon DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill and Soul Assassins. ICBC events are known for combining industry, policy, and entertainment, and the 2025 event in Berlin was no exception. DJ Muggs put on a show for the VIP crowd that will be talked about for years to come.
Day 2 of ICBC Berlin started with a keynote presentation by Dr. jur. Can Ansay, CEO of DR. ANSAY LTD. Dr. Ansay is a notable figure in Germany’s medical cannabis sector and the founder of the popular telemedicine platform DrAnsay.com. He examined safe access to medical cannabis in Germany and discussed changes and trends in Europe’s largest medical cannabis market.
Following the day 2 keynote address, the following topics were discussed at length by panels of leading experts:
- Forming strategic partnerships
- Industry compliance strategies
- Cannabis and hemp tourism
- Genetics
- Opportunities in emerging markets
- Compliant cannabinoid importation in Japan’s evolving market
- Evolving consumer preferences
- Digital innovation, programmed automation, and virtual trends
- Cannabis extraction
- GMP compliance
- Cannabis packaging
The International Cannabis Business Conference has served as the top gathering place for the emerging global cannabis industry for over a decade, with ICBC events being held in several countries on multiple continents.
ICBC Berlin is the largest cannabis B2B event in the Eastern Hemisphere, and will continue to provide the best opportunity for members of the worldwide cannabis industry to learn, network, and explore potentially lucrative collaborations.
To find out more about upcoming ICBC events, go to: Internationalcbc.com
