Dear Colleagues,
It is with great pleasure that we invite you to attend The European Congress on Legal and Regulations in Cannabis (LR-Cannabis) taking place 13-14 February 2020 in Vienna, Austria.
The Congress aim is to learn more about the requirements and processes of medical cannabis under the law and other regulations, as well as to present valuable professional knowledge.
Meet the Speakers

Head of Institute for Sustainable Plant Production AGES – Austrian Ag. For Health & Food Safety

Founding member and President of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians, Medical Cannabis Consultant, USA

University Hospital L. Sacco Milan, Italy

Cardiff University, UK




Congress Agenda

Professional Director, SYNC Projects Ltd., Israel

Co-Founder Canndoc-Pharma, Israel

PCS Pharmaceutical Consultancy Services, The Netherlands

Head of Institute for Sustainable Plant Production AGES – Austrian Ag. For Health & Food Safety
- Legal basis
Based on the UN Single Convention of 1961 and the underlying Austrian laws (Narcotic Drugs Act, Health and Food Safety Act (GESG), Narcotic Drugs Ordinance,…), the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety produces cannabis for the manufacture of medicines. - Infrastructure/Production
AGES cannabis production takes place in greenhouses. This allows a very high product quality to be produced with relatively low energy input.
AGES has over 3,000m² of glasshouse space with 72 autonomous compartments.
All cultivation parameters like : Temperature, Humidity, Light regime, Shading, Darkening, Fertilisation, Irrigation are autonomously controlled for each compartment and monitored 24 hours a day.
By precisely defining and monitoring the production parameters, AGES can guarantee a high degree of standardisation of the product.
AGES has its own tissue culture laboratory where in vitro propagation of plants can be carried out, resulting in plant material that is free of pathogens. These plants are the healthy basis for high-quality flower production. - Security
Securing the production area and the production method have the highest priority and comply with national and international legal requirements.
AGES has committed itself to a very high level of safety in the production of cannabis, in which numerous safety systems are used. - Production quality – GACP standard
The production of cannabis is carried out according to the GACP standards.
All production, hygiene, safety and training requirements are described and documented in detailed standard operating procedures (SOP) and are regularly monitored. Internal and external audits guarantee compliance with the GACP standards.

Head of the Cannabis and Cannabinoids Clinical Research Center at the Chaim Sheba Hospital, Tel Hashomer, Israel
Recent years has seen an increase in the medical use of cannabis. Progress in scientific research of the endocannabinoid system has led to a belief that cannabis possesses beneficial potentials in a variety of medical conditions. As the number of patients permitted to use cannabis for medical purposes in Israel grew, it was deemed necessary to regulate the field.
Israel is committed to uphold the provisions of the International Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and of the Israeli Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, both of which define principals for regulation regime of cannabis. In 2016 an Israeli Government Resolution “Cannabis for Medical and Research Purposes” set the principles for the medicalization model, whose purpose is to support the use of cannabis for medical and research goals, in the same manner as with other narcotic medicines.
The Israeli Canoecopia was formulated, and it includes the “Medical Grade Cannabis – Clinical Guide”, which lays down a uniformly clear methodology for applying treatment for recognized indications with medical cannabis. It also includes the Israeli Good Practices (IMC-GxP) for each link of the supply chain, setting the appropriate standards in order to ensure high quality and reproducibility of medical cannabis products. Vocational training seminars, intended for physicians and others, are held regularly and address the proper ways in which to provide care using medical cannabis. Finally – Israel is one of the leading countries in R&D of cannabis with a significant number of active studies in all levels from plant science to clinical trials.

Professor at University of Turin Medical School, Italy, & Director of Medicine and Physiology of Hypoxia, Switzerland
Placebo effects represent one of the most important confounding variables in the design and interpretation of clinical trials, thus their understanding is today a priority in biomedical research. In this talk, I will present some examples of how recent research and insights into the mechanisms of placebo effects provide some interesting information that may help better design and interpret clinical trials. This is particularly important for trials on cannabis, which is quite an unexplored field of clinical research. First, patients’ expectations have been found to be the main mediators of placebo effects, thus their assessment should be the rule in any clinical trial. Second, previous exposure to active treatments may lead to substantial placebo responses, thus the history of pre-trial pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments should be assessed very carefully. Third, communication across the participants of a trial has been found to affect several outcome measures, thus communication across participants should be avoided. Fourth, today we can identify and create placebo responders and non-responders in the lab by using both learning procedures and genetics, which indicates that placebo effects can be manipulated. These four examples suggest that this new scientific knowledge may have profound implications for clinical trials, including cannabis trials, thus moving trial design from speculative to evidence-based.

Founding member and President of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians, Medical Cannabis Consultant, USA
Lesson number one: all strains of cannabis are different. Lesson number two: Though a view of THC and CBD content is useful for understanding the psychoactivity potential of any particular cultivar, the minor cannabinoids, terpenoids, and flavonoids are all playing a role in the very efficacy of cannabis for any particular condition.
Parallel with the reductionist approach to the development of conventional pharmaceuticals the same deconstruction continues to be applied to cannabis medicines. This pattern results in a gross underestimation of the diversity of cannabis strains and their distinct pharmacological potential. Seemingly subtle differences in the plant’s constituents can greatly alters its efficacy in preclinical and clinical medicine. Compounding the complexity and diversity of cannabis medicines are the patient-to-patient differences in cannabinoid receptors, metabolic pathways, and the therapeutic targets for this remarkable herbal medicine.
After decades of looking at cannabis as a drug of harm, abuse and addiction it is time to revisit existing and future research in cannabis as a therapeutic plant. Fortunes continue to be spent looking for harm while tens of millions of people are self-treating with cannabis seeking to meet their personal needs. It is long overdue to drop the social-political constructs that have interfered with the advancement of science and the treatment of our patients.

University Hospital L. Sacco Milan, Italy

Professor and Board of Governors' Research Chair University of Lethbridge, Canada

Cardiff University, UK
The main barrier to the widespread use of cannabis for medical purposes in the UK is the difficulty of ensuring approved preparations and a lack of robust clinical trial data that precludes reimbursement by the NHS for prescriptions. Indeed, past published research has failed to show benefit for patients with chronic pain and other conditions in randomised, controlled trials. In this talk, we explore the current regulatory framework; NICE guidance and conduct of previous and current trials; and speculate how the benefits that patients report can be captured by the use of better and more sensitive trial designs and patient outcomes.

Attorney at De Lucca Mano, Brazil
- History of Canabidiol movement in Brazil: the mothers
- Legal Act for Specially Controlled Substances (Port. 344/98)
- Anti-Drug Policy Law 11343/06
- Law suits for growers and patients associations to produce CBD
- Mandatory court decisions oblige government to supply for patients: how much does that cost?
- Direct Importation of drugs by patients and families: how does it work?
- First registered drug in Brazil (Sativex/Mevatil);
- New ANVISA regulations for growth under discussion;
- Purposed laws on Brazilian Congress: what is being discussed on legislative house.

Senior Associate, Brandl & Talos Attorneys at Law, Austria
In recent years, countries all over the world have realized the huge potential that a legalization of medical cannabis brings along. The European industry is evolving rapidly and North American players – equipped with industry know-how and experience of operating in the advanced US and Canadian markets – are looking to secure their place on the other side of the Atlantic. However, the European regulatory landscape is characterised by a lack of cohesion and regulations are still in their infancy. A glance at the regulatory frameworks currently applicable in Canada and certain US States shows that European legislators may draw valuable lessons from their counterparts across the pond.

Owner and Director, Epsilon Greenhouses, Greece
- Purpose of a pharmaceutical company
- GMP and GACP in Greece
- Current status of pharmaceutical cannabis companies (overview)
- Possible pitfalls and strategies to avoid them
- Timeframe and steps to acquire a license
- Greek National Organization for Medicines (EOF)
- Future issues to be solved
- Available laboratory equipment
- Cliniques with pharmaceutical cannabis
- Medical products from cannabinoids

Assistant Professor in RD Gandhi Medical College and Consultant at Motherhood Hospital, Indore, India

Founding member and President of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians, Medical Cannabis Consultant, USA
The most recent (2017) National Academies of Sciences * Engineering * and Medicine Report (NAS) found that of 23 prioritized health conditions reviewed, just 3 met the standard for “conclusive or substantial evidence for benefit from cannabis or cannabinoids”. Many thousands of physicians and allied health care providers have become competent in successfully treating more than a hundred different conditions with cannabis. So, why don’t the clinical benefits match the current published evidence? Numerous elements to this simple question reveal extensive obstructions from far flung origins. In conclusion, however, the first cause, alleviating pain and suffering, requires policy makers to have a firm foundation in cannabinoid science in order to regulate cannabis to the benefit of patient care.
A call for more research while disregarding the clinical observations and case reports of physicians, and, sustaining the prohibition of cannabis is disingenuous in light of the illegal status of cannabis on the world stage. Barriers persist to well-designed clinical trials to optimize the outcomes of many difficult health conditions for which cannabis in known by clinicians to provide relief.
Some experts content that we have put the cart before the horse after a thousand generations of cannabis use for pleasure and medicine with so little evidence of harm when compared to so many licit and illicit drugs. Cannabis has its own limitations as a medicine. It would be unethical to develop policies that make cannabis choices either too costly, or simply inaccessible, to make the best advantage of cannabis medicine.

The cosmetic industry has experienced a significant rise in the presence of cannabis-based ingredients in cosmetic products. While Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil has already been used in cosmetics for some time, it is only recently that one specific cannabinoid, namely Cannabidiol (CBD), gained massive attention worldwide for both manufacturers and consumers and is set to become a distinctive trend for the coming years in the industry. The Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009/EC is the main regulatory framework for cosmetic products to be placed on the EU market, however, cannabis and its related components pose specific challenges which render compliance with the applicable requirements rather demanding. The peculiarity of such requirements stems from the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 which is then incorporated into the restrictions and prohibitions set out in the Annexes of the Cosmetics Regulation. Additional difficulties are posed by national provisions which further increase the uncertainty of the regulatory context. This presentation will thus look at the current legislative framework for the use of cannabis and CBD in cosmetic products in the EU and the practical implications for manufacturers caused by the current regulatory patchwork.

Co-Founder, Imperial Green Ltd., North Macedonia
- Why do we need regulations?
- Drug development and medical cannabis
- Introduction of medical cannabis in Republic of North Macedonia
- Current status of the medical cannabis industry in Republic of North Macedonia
- Future legislative changes and amendments
- Business opportunities and local advantages

Moked Matara, Israel

Moked Matara, Israel
As the medical cannabis industry is growing fast, so are the threats to all of the plant production chain.
Since worldwide the plant is still considered as drugs and it’s legally prohibited but its market demand is high and increasing as are the threats, a suitable security process is needed now more than ever.
Moked-Matara Projects is one of the leading Israeli companies in planning, consulting and managing all of the security aspects in the cannabis production chain from seed to the final customer in terms of manufacturing logistics and delivery, all according to the advanced Israeli IMC-GSP protocol.
How do you keep safe a product with a street value higher than it’s legal market value?
How you prevent criminal takeover?
Know your opponents
This and many more we will try to answer our best

The presentation is about the complexity of different regulations in different countries in the EU and its impact on business models and fund raising.
Contact Us
We look forward to hearing from you.