Exactly how humans first discovered that cannabis could be used as medicine is unclear, but the historical evidence of medical cannabis use by civilizations all over the world is abundant. Humans have a long history of harnessing the wellness benefits of the cannabis plant, with ancient societies from across the globe having documented cannabis use for medical purposes.

The earliest historical documentation of medical cannabis use is attributed to Emperor Shen Nung, regarded as the father of Chinese medicine, who included medical cannabis (‘ma’) in his pharmacopoeia around 2,800 BCE. The ancient text, which is considered to be the world’s oldest pharmacopoeia, recommends using cannabis to treat more than 100 ailments, including gout, rheumatism, and malaria.

While humans using cannabis for medical purposes is not a new thing, the options afforded to today’s medical cannabis patients have evolved considerably compared to past eras. Medical cannabis products are more varied than ever, and they are developed in as sophisticated and advanced a fashion as any other widely used medicine. How patients safely access those medical products has also evolved in recent years, particularly in Europe, where the medical cannabis pharmacy model is becoming more widespread in countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom.

In Germany, medical cannabis pharmacies serve as the backbone of the nation’s medical cannabis industry, which is the largest legal medical market in Europe. Nearly 50% of German patients now live within 10 kilometers of a medical cannabis pharmacy, with more cannabis pharmacies opening every passing year. That increasing level of safe access through cannabis pharmacies is what is driving Germany’s booming medical cannabis industry, including the imports sector. Germany imported over 218 tonnes of medical cannabis products from Q2 2025 through Q1 2026, a massive increase over the preceding four quarters (roughly 102 tonnes).

The United Kingdom is Europe’s second-largest legal medical cannabis market. While it is not as large and developed as Germany’s medical cannabis industry, the United Kingdom’s industry has experienced impressive growth in recent years, thanks in large part to the spread of medical cannabis pharmacies. A market analysis from late last year found that medical cannabis patients in the United Kingdom spend an average of £3600 a year on their medicine, and that there are about 80,000 active medical cannabis patients.

With medical cannabis pharmacies playing such a key role in Europe’s top markets, entrepreneurs, investors, and pharmacy-sector service providers need to meet and network with medical cannabis pharmacy operators. The best and most efficient opportunity to do exactly that is in Berlin, Germany, in April 2027 at the International Cannabis Business Conference. The event will feature the largest gathering of medical cannabis pharmacies in cannabis industry history, with over 500 cannabis pharmacy operators set to attend the Pharmacy Meetup attraction of the conference.

“Medical cannabis pharmacies are proving to be the foundation of Europe’s medical distribution model. Operators need to network with their peers to further their collective business and advocacy pursuits,” states Alex Rogers, CEO and Founder of the International Cannabis Business Conference. “Likewise, cultivators, product makers, and members of other industry sectors must also network with pharmacy operators to explore collaboration opportunities. Interest in the Pharmacy Meetup at the 2027 conference has reached a historical level, so we are making it a key attraction for the event.”

For the last decade, the annual International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin has served as the world’s premier cannabis industry tradeshow. Legal cannabis markets have evolved considerably in the last ten years, particularly in Europe, and the International Cannabis Business Conference has been at the forefront of all of it. With the conference set to return to Berlin on April 13th-15th, 2027, this year’s tradeshow will be bigger and better than ever. It will not only be a celebration of the conference’s 10th anniversary in Berlin, but also a celebration of how much progress the international cannabis industry has made over the last decade.

The International Cannabis Business Conference is once again bringing Europe’s largest and longest-running cannabis B2B tradeshow to Germany’s biggest conference and entertainment center, the iconic Estrel Berlin Hotel. Cannabis policy modernization efforts are spreading across Europe at an impressive rate, and Germany continues to serve as the continental cannabis policy and industry leader.

Thousands of international cannabis buyers are coming back to the International Cannabis Business Conference tradeshow in Berlin in April. In addition to licensed cannabis buyers, most of the world’s largest licensed producers (LPs) and nearly all European and international wholesalers and distributors will be present. This helps ensure that visitors can make the best deals and connect directly with the people and entities who matter most to their operations.

Over 7,500 cannabis leaders from over 80 countries are expected to be represented at the International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin in 2027, and that includes representatives from every sector of the industry, as well as leading international cannabis policymakers and industry service providers. Bring your company to the International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin to network with the best and take your industry pursuits to the next level.

The final schedule for the International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin, including keynote speakers and panels, will be released soon. You can find out more at: Internationalcbc.com.