Demecan, the only independent German producer of medical cannabis (the other two are Aurora and Tilray), has prepared its first cannabis flowers for the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Products (BfArM), constituting its first harvest for German pharmacies.
In 2022, more than 300 kg of high-quality cannabis flowers have already been harvested, dried and packaged. by Demecan The first batch of 100 kg will be collected by the German Cannabis Agency and distributed to pharmacies.
The company opted for an indica-dominant strain based on the high THC cultivar OG Kush, between 18% and 22%. Since March, another variety (type 2 DEMECAN) has also been in cultivation, without further details for the moment on the variety chosen, although we already know that it should have between 12 and 16% THC with less than 1 % CBD.
Demecan has already produced around half of the annual quantity ordered by the BfArM. Each year, up to 660 kg of this variety are delivered from their cultivation site in Saxony.
For physician and co-founder Dr. Adrian Fischer, who is responsible for cultivation and quality control, knowing that his own cannabis flowers are available in pharmacies is a particularly important step: “We can finally obtain cannabis from Germany in pharmacies. I am particularly happy that this quality product can help many patients and that we can improve the supply situation through cultivation in this country. It would of course be desirable if we could produce many more. Demecan is capable of it”.
From Berlin Startup to Germany’s Largest Cannabis Producer
Since 2017, German law has authorized therapeutic cannabis.
In 2019, DEMECAN was the only independent German company to obtain the contract from the federal government for the production of cannabis flowers for medical use. The resulting delivery contract is valid for a period of four years. Production takes place in their EU-GMP certified production site near Dresden and according to the quality standards of drug manufacturing.
The 100,000 m² production site was acquired by Demecan in the summer of 2020. In less than 15 months of work, the building – a former slaughterhouse – was transformed and is today the largest cannabis production facility inside Europe.
24 cm of reinforced concrete in all walls, steel doors, 150 cameras and a high-tech computer system to control and optimize plant growth, ensure the perfect development of plants. Thanks to its modular production capacities, Demecan can also massively increase its production capacity, even in the short term, in order to meet the growing demand in Germany.
