Exporting Cannabis into Germany

GETTING YOUR CANNABIS INTO GERMANY

The German marketplace is in early stages.  John Zang, the principal of JZ Law, has been legally hands on involved in the participation of Canadian cannabis exporters into Germany.  As John Zang states: “the barriers to get a licensed grower’s cannabis are large. First, now adays most licenses issued by Health Canada are Micro-grow Licenses.  In order to export you require a Standard License.” Mr. Zang’s client, Buton Growers Ltd., has such a Standard License issued to it by Health Canada. Next the Canadian exporter must have a facility which is Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (“GACP”) compliant.  An independent  assessment is required to confirm the facility is GACP compliant.  JZ Law assets its clients with obtaining this GACP compliance. The company proposing to export must also have an export permit from Excise Canada. As shown through John Zang’s work with Burton Growers Ltd., JZ Law can accomplish that task for cannabis companies.

As Mr. Zang states “that is not the end of the process to get your cannabis into Germany”.  You also must have a facility that meets Good Manufacturing Practices (“GMP”). This is another assessment of your facility.  However, an exporter can use a “go between” already located in Europe which has a GMP. The Canadian cannabis exporter can use this European GMP permit holder to qualify their cannabis to enter Europe.  John Zang  advises that “what JZ Law did was locate an entity with GMP certification and had Burton Growers contract with them in order to essentially immediately supply its cannabis to Germany. Meanwhile it can go through the GMP process.” Mr. Zang advises that to the best his knowledge there are less 25 companies in Canada that have the necessary GMP certification. JZ Law is assisting its clients, like Burton Growers, get this GMP certification.

Once you have your cannabis with all of the certification into Germany, you then contract with a German wholesaler who in turn distributes it to German pharmacies. Some companies, like Burton Growers, make efforts to start its wholesale business itself or joint venture with the wholesalers. John Zang reports that he has seen cannabis exporters simply license its cannabis products to the wholesalers. While he understands why they are doing that—as it is easy. But doing that you lose control over your product. JZ Law prefers a reward based contract with the wholesalers by which they simply distribute the product, they do not have a licensed ownership of the cannabis product.

THE GERMAN MARKETPLACE

The effort is worth the reward, however.  During the first three quarters of 2025 cannabis imports from Canada into Germany were 66,237 kg. This represents almost half  of the total cannabis imported by Germany during that same period-- 143,307 kg. In addition, the revenue from the sales into Germany is 4 times that in Canada. The German cannabis unit price per gram is €8.77/g (€7.35/g after VAT). In Canada the price per gram is CAD$3.95/g (€2.45/g) and  CAD$2.82/g (€1.75/g) after Excise taxes.  As John Zang advises, “our client, Burton Growers, sees this as a huge  win. They see the net income from export being a multiple of over three times what they get in Canada.”

As shown above there are many barriers to most cannabis companies in Canada to get their product to Germany.  Through the use of JZ Law these barriers can be overcome. But admittedly it requires significant effort and attention to compliance details to get to that point. The complexities of international trade and compliance highlight the value of specialized expertise in any field. Whether navigating legal frameworks or establishing the physical foundations of a business, relying on seasoned professionals is key. For instance, a long-standing, family-owned business like Zahn Paving has built its reputation on decades of expertise in professional asphalt and concrete services.

CONCLUSION

If you are a Standard License holder and which to discuss the process to export your cannabis to Europe, do not hesitate to contact John Zang. In addition, if you are a holder of a Micro-grow License,  JZ Law may be able to help you be able to export as well.

In the meantime—HAPPY GROWS.

JZ LAW.