At a time when the legalization of cannabis in Germany is opening new opportunities, Grünhorn is setting impulses for the economic strengthening of Saxony at a meeting with political decision-makers.
Saxon politician, lawyer, and native of Leipzig, Wolfram Günther (The Greens), emphasized the importance of local value creation in his hometown during his company visit to Grünhorn: "My interest lies in the opportunities for value creation in Saxony. The more companies establish themselves here, the sooner we can achieve a solid economic foundation." As State Minister for Energy, Climate Protection, Environment, and Agriculture, the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for key issues of regional development. Dr. Ulrike Böhm, Chairwoman of the Greens and direct candidate for the state parliament, as well as a physician in forensic and addiction medicine, highlighted the need to involve the medical community at the meeting: "We need to get doctors on board – they have been overwhelmed since legalization."
Grünhorn's CFO, Sven-Roger von Schilling, underscored the importance of the removal of medicinal cannabis from the Narcotics Act to prescription medications in April in the debate: "This is the most important aspect of partial legalization, although it has received little media attention compared to recreational use. It has significantly simplified prescribing and has led to a tenfold increase in the number of new patients in June, causing a market shift."
Scaling the Cannabis Industry in the Region
A key topic of the meeting was the scaling possibilities of the cannabis industry due to the enormous demand. Experts from the Grünhorn Group discussed the challenges of a highly regulated market with Wolfram Günther and Dr. Ulrike Böhm. A significant bottleneck is that only pharmacists or pharmacy technicians under pharmacist supervision are allowed to fill cannabis flowers.
However, around 81 percent1 of pharmacies in Germany lack qualified staff. The shortage of skilled workers in the labor market is hindering the growth of the medical cannabis industry in Saxony and Germany. One proposed solution could be the issuance of special permits. The Saxon industry could be involved to develop innovative solutions together with the Ministry of Health. Furthermore, the need to integrate cannabis-specific knowledge into university education was emphasized to train urgently needed specialists for the region and further strengthen economic growth.
A disruptive approach to addressing the shortage of pharmacists was the introduction of a semi-automated cannabis filling process at the Grünhorn Apotheke. Under expert supervision, this system carefully fills up to 60 jars per minute, ensuring the highest standards of quality are maintained. With the ability to adjust the gram amount for frequently prescribed varieties and alleviate the workload of already highly burdened staff, this solution brings significant efficiency gains. Grünhorn continues to advocate for the economic and regulatory development of the cannabis industry in Saxony and looks forward to constructive collaboration with all parties involved.
1 https://www.pharmazeutische-zeitung.de/apotheken-leiden-erheblich-unter-fachkraeftemangel-148135/