Portugal’s Cannabis Exports Have Nearly Tripled

The legal medical cannabis industry has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, particularly in Europe. One country that is witnessing substantial growth of its emerging medical cannabis industry is Portugal, where cannabis exports are booming.

“According to data provided to ECO by the National Authority for Medicines and Health Products (Infarmed), sales abroad totalled 32,558 kilos, covering cultivation, manufacturing and wholesale trade activities.” reported The Portugal News in its local coverage (translated to English).

“Germany, Spain, Poland, the United Kingdom and Australia were the top five destinations for medical cannabis exports last year. With this year-on-year growth of 172%, which made the volume exceed 65 tons in 2019, the country consolidated its status as the largest European exporter and second in the world, a ranking in which it appears behind only Canada.” the outlet also reported.

One factor that people should have on their radars is the rise of domestic medical cannabis production in major markets, particularly in Germany. As part of the nation’s 2024 CanG law, caps on domestic medical cannabis production were removed in Germany.

It will take time for domestic production to significantly ramp up in Germany, which is Europe’s largest legal medical cannabis market, but once it does, it could impact imports from other countries such as Portugal.

Cannabis is now legal in some form, whether it be for medical use, adult use, or in the form of industrial hemp, in over 115 countries. According to a recent study conducted by researchers from Ukraine and France, and published by the U.S. National Institute of Health, 57 countries have adopted medical cannabis legalization measures.