Alex Rogers, Executive Producer of the International Cannabis Business Conference, welcomes conference attendees and provides an overview of the conference schedule, including the panels and speakers that will be providing presentations and interviews.
Alex Rogers
Dr. Metka Paragi welcomes International CBC Slovenia conference attendees
Leading international microbiologist Dr. Metka Paragi welcomes attendees of the International Cannabis Business Conference in Slovenia. Dr. Paragi currently serves as the State Secretary for Public Healthcare and Public Health in the office of the Prime Minister where she advises the Prime Minister and liaisons between Slovenia’s Parliament and the Prime Minister’s office. Dr. Metka Paragi will provide a brief overview of the state of cannabis in Slovenia and discuss the level of support for policy modernization efforts in the region.
Dr. Metka Paragi
Slovenia continues to work toward establishing an international R&D hub
Demand for hemp and cannabis-derived products and research is increasing around the globe every day, particularly in the medical cannabis sector. Slovenia is home to world-class universities, research facilities, and scientists making it well-positioned to become the leading international cannabis industry R&D hub on the planet. A panel of experts will discuss the latest updates from Slovenia, including policy modernization efforts that seek to boost the nation’s cannabis R&D efforts.
Assist Prof. Andreja Čerenak, PhD
Increasing collaboration between public and private sector entities
Dr. Draško Veselinovič
Boštjan Koritnik
The public and private sectors both play vital roles in moving the emerging legal cannabis industry forward. For the emerging cannabis industry to reach its full potential and for humans to maximize the industry’s benefits for society, public and private entities in health, agriculture, industry, and sustainability must collaborate effectively, especially on larger projects. A team of panelists will discuss the needs, benefits, and strategies of forming public-private partnerships to boost societal outcomes.
Breaking down the major components of Germany’s CanG law
Lawmakers in Germany have adopted a multi-faceted measure that overhauled the nation’s cannabis policies and regulations. The first phase of Germany’s new CanG law removed criminal penalties for personal adult possession, consumption, and cultivation. Permitting member-based social cannabis clubs is also part of the first phase of German legalization. Eventually, Germany will also launch regional adult-use commerce pilot programs. Attorney Kai Niermann will provide an in-depth analysis of Germany’s legalization model, including its impact on the nation’s medical cannabis industry.
Kai-Friedrich Niermann
Slovenia’s current cannabis policy modernization efforts
Voters in Slovenia passed two separate cannabis referendum measures in June, one focused on medical cannabis policy modernization and the other focused on decriminalization for adults. Leading expert Gašper Friškovec will discuss the impact of the referendum votes in Slovenia, as well as what current strategies advocates are pursuing in Slovenia to overhaul the nation’s cannabis policies and regulations. Mr. Friškovec will also examine the impact that cannabis reform victories in other European jurisdictions have had on Slovenia’s cannabis movement.
Gašper Friškovec
After the legalization of Recreational Cannabis on April 1, 2024
Since 1 April 2024, the partial legalization of recreational cannabis in Germany has come into force with the Cannabis Act (Cannabisgesetz, “CanG”). With the Medical Cannabis Act (Medizinisches Cannabisgesetz, “MedCanG”), the CanG has now also created its own set of regulations for medical cannabis. In regulatory terms, this essentially means adopting the provisions of the Narcotics Act (Betäubungsmittelgesetz, “BtMG”), although it also contains important changes: Among other things, the BtM prescription and other bureaucratic requirements are no longer required. The MedCanG also contains significant changes for companies that will cultivate medicinal cannabis in Germany in the future. The new legal situation has also already had a significant economic impact, which is reflected in a strong upturn in the medical cannabis market. The presentation will focus on these and other developments as well as potential further effects in the Medical Cannabis Market in Germany and Europe.
Peter Homberg
Creating science-driven medications for evolving patient needs
Prof Dr. Tamara Lah Turnšek
Prof. Dr. Borut Štrukelj
Prof. Dr. David Neubauer
International cannabis researchers are currently working to further unlock the cannabis plant’s wellness capabilities at a rate never seen before in human history. The cannabis plant and the dozens of cannabinoids that it contains hold a tremendous amount of wellness benefits, much of which still needs to be properly researched and understood. Investigative research efforts are, in turn, providing valuable insight for scientists and engineers to incorporate into their science-driven medical cannabis product development strategies. We will discuss emerging medical cannabis research, product concepts and trends, and how the evolving needs of suffering patients are helping drive niche product development.
What does the future hold for cannabis-focused research efforts?
Justin Tombe
Rui Soares
Božidar Radišič
The cannabis research sector is set to experience significant change in the coming years due to governments reforming laws, rules, and regulations that affect cannabinoid-based research. Hurdles and barriers that prevented or hindered cannabis research in past decades are being removed in many jurisdictions. Additionally, demand for cannabis research is greater than ever, thanks in large part to the exponential growth of the emerging cannabis industry. Panelists will provide updates regarding current cannabis research and explore what research concepts may be coming in the future.
Creating modern medical cannabis products for evolving patient demands
Lisa Haag
Danielle Bernstein
Dr Marjeta Česen
Demand for cannabinoid-based therapeutics is greater now than ever before, and with more countries modernizing their cannabis policies to permit the research, development, and application of such products, the future is very bright for the cannabinoid biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors. This panel is dedicated to examining the emerging opportunities within the cannabinoid-based biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors.
Infusing technology into the emerging hemp industry
Petra Marinko
Bogdan Mak
The industrial hemp industry has become more sophisticated in recent years as the emerging industry has spread to nearly every corner of the globe. International demand for hemp-derived products, from fiber to floral products, is greater now than at any other time in modern history. Innovators are revolutionizing what is possible for the hemp plant and the products derived from it. Panelists will discuss the latest and most exciting technology being harnessed by the rising hemp industry.