Marijuana Business Magazine May-June 2020

May-June 2020 | mjbizdaily.com 29 COVID-19 Effectively Freezes European GMP Cannabis Inspections in Canada, Elsewhere European Union Good Manufacturing Practice (EU-GMP) certification audits involving cannabis facil- ities in Canada and elsewhere screeched to a halt with the travel restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic. The discontinuation of audits has meant that some overseas medical cannabis producers can’t receive certification to begin exports to the EU market. In par- ticular, German GMP inspectors aren’t traveling to Can- ada, Colombia, Lesotho and other export nations outside the EU to certify medical cannabis production facilities. Meanwhile, producers in EU countries such as Denmark or Portugal may become certified by their respective domestic health agencies, which could displace and eventually replace more expensive Canadian imports. Canadian Provinces Have Wide-Ranging Regulations for Retailers During Coronavirus The majority of Canada’s provincial governments are allowing recreational cannabis stores to stay open during the COVID-19 outbreak, effectively designating such businesses as “essential.” Meanwhile, Ontario, the northern territory of Nunavut as well as Newfoundland and Labrador are offering online sales exclusively. Canada’s federal government deemed medical cannabis production “essential” to the country’s health-care infrastructure—a nonbinding measure intended to assist jurisdictions and businesses in their decisionmaking. While overall cannabis production is regulated by Canada’s federal government, the country’s recreational cannabis storefronts fall under the jurisdiction of provincial governments. © 2020 Marijuana Business Daily , a division of Anne Holland Ventures. All rights reserved. Data is current as of April 15, 2020.