Marijuana Business Magazine September 2019

Marijuana Business Magazine | September 2019 74 Seven Global Players WORTH WATCHING Growing Momentum By Omar Sacirbey Bedrocan LINE OF BUSINESS Cultivation of medical cannabis HEADQUARTERS Veendam, the Netherlands WHY TO WATCH Bedrocan produces standardized medical cannabis flower of pharmaceutical quality based on European Union guidelines for Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). The company has been growing in the Netherlands for more than two decades, and its only customer is the government agency that has a monopoly on distribution: the Dutch Office of Medical Cannabis (OMC). The OMC oversees the quality of Bedrocan products—currently five different strains for commercial purposes—and distributes cannabis for the domestic market as well as for export. In 2018, the OMC exported 2,050 kilograms (4,519 pounds) of medical cannabis flower for pharmacy dispensing—most of that went to Germany—and distributed 550 kilograms to domestic pharmacies. Bedrocan was responsible for the production of all 2,600 kilograms and is currently the OMC’s sole supplier. By comparison, Canada exported a total of 1,465 kilograms of medical cannabis flower in 2018, including the combined exports of all Canadian licensed producers. This means that while Bedrocan doesn’t export (the OMC does it), its cannabis flower was the most exported in 2018, exceeding all Canadian producers combined. According to a recent agreement between the German and Dutch governments, exports from the Netherlands to Germany will increase during 2019, reaching a total of 2,500 kilograms. This suggests total exports of Bedrocan products in 2019 are likely to surpass 3,000 kilograms. In an industry where most of the promising companies still have limited or no track record, Bedrocan is the first EU-GMP certified company to prove it can produce the standardized flower patients need on a large scale.

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