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EU Medical Cannabis Meets Recreational Choice: A New Era in European Preference

Oct. 17, 2024 by SOMAÍ Pharmaceuticals

Europe has been one of the most interesting cannabis markets to watch develop: What was a pure medical cannabis market has quietly but steadily tilted into a recreational preference market. 

Observing more mature markets like the United States and Canada provides the perfect crystal ball into consumer preferences. Cultural nuances aside, everyone wants the best quality cannabis products with effective performance for whatever reason people are using them. After all, most people are consuming cannabis, whether medically or recreationally, to address one or more medical indications and deserve to find the right product that works for them. Additionally, mature markets show a clear preference for various therapeutic options.

Medical Flower Creates Impetus for Choice

Not discounting the fact that smoking flower is the most widely practiced form of consuming cannabis, there are also massive benefits for many patients and consumers around the world. 

The fact is, no other pharmaceutical or medical drug is rolled into a joint, lit with a flame and then inhaled into the lungs. Although smoking cannabis helps millions of people for significant reasons, this method of consuming cannabis mirrors a recreational approach involving the patient discovering preferences among many strains, THC levels and terpene profiles — all while attempting to achieve potential medical benefits. 

This method often involves patients exploring the web or reading Reddit to find their best alternate options. It is not any different from someone reading up on their prescribed painkillers and checking forums to see if there are other options to heal them, perhaps more effective than their current pain plan. Nobody wants to be unwell or in pain, and seeking solutions is natural. 

Additionally, although there are over 30,000+ research reports on cannabis , if you’re looking for advice, there is no better place than online to learn: Clinics and doctors are reporting that a majority of European Union patients walk into their offices and tell them the strain they want. And why shouldn’t they? It is a very rare doctor who has the time and desire to be a genetic specialist, given the hundreds of cannabis flower cultivars. 

Branding in Mature Markets Speaks to EU Medical Consumers

Many EU companies want to be their own brand, but only a few will be as successful as the largest international brands. These international brands like CuraLeaf and Tilray have a massive advantage over local, new start-ups: They can advertise cannabis in their respective countries and provide online resources that cater to personal preferences and product choices. 

Imagine if you’re a patient in the EU and the European cannabis companies are guided by pharmaceutical narcotics rules , which prevent any discussions with the public about selling their product or, in some countries, even talking about it. Then, you get online and read directly on companies’ US-based sites what people are consuming their products for, the product’s intended effects, or just pictures of beautiful buds and gummies with colorful labels and celebrity endorsements. Even if you are very ill, you can easily find extensive information to help decide if that might be something you want to try to help you. 

The EU medical community may criticize brands, but flower brands like Cookies offer some of the best, most iconic strains that have been helping people since the first medical cannabis markets were established two decades ago. Whether you seek therapeutic relief for chronic pain, sleep or cancer-related issues, there are cultivars to help, and most people change strains regularly . 

Cannabis is therapeutic and a medicine; it can also taste great and smell wonderful. Presenting as buttoned-up or colorful shouldn’t change the therapeutic nature of the unique strains of any brand. Ultimately, it is all branding, and some brands will be more impactful than others in helping people.

Extracts Are Increasingly on the European Consumer’s Radar

Extracts are a genuine sign of a maturing market as education and better-performing products reach much larger demographics, with the global market share expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.0% from 2023 to 2030 . 

Flower is always the market entrant since it is the primary form factor all the illicit and early legal markets had to begin with. Twenty years ago, there wasn’t an illicit salesman coming to your house with a choice of gummies or a rosin vape. Now, however, EU markets are getting a taste for edibles and vaporizers. 

Not all patients want to smoke, and some cannot risk smoking indoors with their family or at a hospital. Many patients cannot drink MCT oil or dislike the taste of crude oil extracts , which can limit their compliance with medical regimens. Older generations don’t want to drink grassy-tasting oils that are hard to pull out with a syringe: They would prefer a gel cap like the one used in the nutraceutical industry or even a tasty gummy that can be chewed and enjoyed like a sweet . Some say sweet form factors will encourage younger generations to consume cannabis. However, vitamins, melatonin, and many other nutraceuticals are gummies worldwide because adults like good taste, and they increase adherence to a healthy regimen.

Anecdotally, European consumers seem to be choosing their flower primarily via online chat groups and social resources. Brands are increasing in Europe now that Germany has removed the narcotics classification , and extracts are increasingly improving. These trends precisely mirror those consumers went through two decades ago in the United States and a decade ago in Canada. 

What is Next

Consumers and patients want information on the best-performing products and, yes, ones that taste good. While medical cannabis is a regulatory framework, treatment all comes down to preference, in part because there are no one-size-fits-all solutions to addressing ailments with cannabis. As the global medical markets advance, expect significantly more choices of therapy and more specialized cannabis outlets of sale.