European Cannabis Pilot Projects

Written by Johnny Green on May 30, 2025. Posted in Business, Policy.

Certain European markets are home to a unique public policy and commerce concept known as pilot trials. These research-based projects permit regional adult-use cannabis commerce at a local level to help lawmakers and regulators gather data and information to be better informed when crafting national laws and industry policies.

Current European Union agreements prohibit national commerce models like what is found in the Western Hemisphere, however, EU agreements do permit recreational commerce projects for public health research purposes. Pilot trials are currently operating in the Netherlands and Switzerland, and soon, trials are expected to launch in Germany.

In the video at this link, you can watch a recent presentation from the International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin about European cannabis pilots. The panel was moderated by leading cannabis policy expert and attorney Kai-Friedrich Niermann, Founder of KFN+ Law Office. The panel also included:

Daniel S. Hübner, Senior Science Manager at the Cannabis Research Lab Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Finn A. Hänsel, Managing Director and a Founder of Sanity Group
Deepak Anand, Principal at ASDA Consultancy Services

Until EU agreements are modernized, cannabis pilot trials will continue to serve as an important legal commerce concept for EU member nations to consider.

Europe, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands