In mid-September, Dortmund, Germany, hosted two shows under one roof. CB Expo, the cannabis and hemp conference, ran alongside InterTabac, the world’s largest trade fair for the tobacco and nicotine industry, attracting thousands of visitors from varied nationalities looking to participate in the newest trends. Walking between the halls, it was often hard to say where one industry ended and the other began. Hemp cigarettes with less than 0.3% THC were on display a few booths away from rows of nicotine pouches, some of which no longer contain tobacco at all, but other plants.
The event hosted international speakers grouped in panels discussing some of the hottest topics on the evolution of European cannabis and tobacco regulations and trends for attendees. The trade show welcomed brands showcasing unique products that continue to put on a fight for a place in the market while still relying on European Union decisions, producers and, in general, anyone interested in participating in the European cannabis space.
International outlook roundtable discussion at CB Expo 2026: From left to right, Juliana Salazar (of counsel Colombia and South America, Rudick Law Group), Steven Tan (CEO, Northern Leaf), Aleksandra Vujinović (attorney, AV Legal), Mike Lickver (president, Auxly Cannabis) and Elkin Rodriguez (director of international business development, MJBiz).
In the panels and at the booths, one theme came up again and again: products are moving faster than the rules that govern them. Here are our three takeaways.
- The International Race for Quality Continues
Germany is Europe’s largest market for medical cannabis. Since April 2024, cannabis is no longer classified as a narcotic in Germany, and imports have grown sharply. Germany’s Federal Ministry of Health now expects imports of medical cannabis flower to reach 300 metric tons in 2026. Canada remains the largest supplier, followed by Portugal.
That is why the International Outlook panel brought together experts from the countries that supply, or want to supply, this market: the U.S., Canada, Colombia, the U.K. and Europe.
Canada’s story served as both proof of concept and warning. After legalization, the industry went through overcapacity, price compression and heavy excise taxes before shifting from growth at all costs to disciplined profitability. The operators that came through it built their advantage on product quality, brand strength, regulatory expertise and efficient operations, which is exactly what the German pharmacy market now rewards.
The U.S. is getting ready to enter the picture. In April 2026, the DEA moved FDA-approved drug products and state-licensed medical marijuana from Schedule I to the less restrictive Schedule III. Imports and exports still require a DEA permit, but international trade is now at least on the table.
Colombian producers have gone through difficult times after a fake green rush when medical cannabis was legalized almost 10 years ago. Now, local producers are positioning themselves to become top-tier suppliers for the German market by taking advantage of the low production costs and high quality standards, namely GACP and GMP, to access some of the world’s most regulated markets. The German market will continue to squeeze producers to prove they meet their stringent quality standards, but Colombians seem ready to tackle the challenge and compete against other giants.
For the U.K., one exporting producer named the biggest problem in Europe: inconsistency. Flower sold across Europe can differ widely in post-harvest handling, microbial quality, age, testing and documentation, and it is not always clear whether a product was truly processed and released under GMP or treated as GACP material and converted later in the supply chain.
Regulators are now pushing in that direction. This summer, “GMP washing” became one of the industry’s most debated terms. The German Pharmaceutical Society warned that a growing volume of flower enters the EU without GMP production, sometimes not even under GACP, and is then re-dried, sieved or homogenized in a GMP-licensed facility to be sold as “EU-GMP flower.” The health authority of the German state of Hesse now requires GMP-compliant drying and trimming at the place of harvest, unless it can be shown beyond doubt that skipping that step causes no quality loss.
Whether GACP flowers can still be imported and upgraded to EU-GMP in Europe remains open. For exporters from Bogotá to Vancouver, the answer decides whether they must invest in GMP processing at the farm. Germany may well set the benchmark for international supply chains.
- Upcoming Brands are Looking for New and Unique Plants
The tobacco rulebook itself is about to change. In April 2026, the European Commission published its evaluation of the directive and found the biggest gaps in the lack of common rules for novel nicotine products. The evaluation points toward a shift from regulating “tobacco” to regulating “nicotine,” which could include pouches.
On the show floor, brands are already preparing for what comes after tobacco: herbal smoking blends, botanicals and terpene profiles that create new flavors. Pre-rolls came up again and again as the format that fits most naturally into tobacco shops and kiosks.
But these products run straight into tobacco tax. Under EU and German excise law, products made wholly or partly of substances other than tobacco are taxed as cigarettes or smoking tobacco if they are suitable for smoking. What matters is not what the product contains, but that it is meant to be burned and inhaled and only products used exclusively for medical purposes are exempt.
Europe’s starting point is also uneven. Nicotine pouches contain no tobacco, so the current EU Tobacco Products Directive does not cover them. In Germany nicotine pouches cannot be sold, because authorities treat them as unauthorized novel foods, a classification that remains legally disputed and that cost the cannabis industry a whole lot of time and confusion. The Netherlands, Belgium and France have banned them outright. Pouches were also discussed as a new way to consume cannabinoids, but in Europe it is still too early for that. Products containing THC remain tightly controlled, and CBD in oral products counts as a novel food under EU law.
For brands, this creates both opportunity and risk. Common EU rules could finally bring legal certainty to new product categories. But they will also bring taxes, health warnings and possibly flavor bans, which the Commission is considering as part of the revision.
- The Regulatory Challenges Hemp Brands Continue to Face
Hemp/CBD brands are not short of products or demand, but still waiting for clear rules. What they lack is an answer to a basic questions: what is a hemp product and how to interpret the 0.3% THC threshold? Depending on how it is used, the same flower can be treated as an agricultural crop, as cannabis, as a tobacco product or as a novel food. Each classification comes with its own rules, its own authorities and its own risks.
The bigger problem is how each country interprets the rules for the products made from the plant. In Germany, hemp falls outside the cannabis rules only if it is not suited for intoxicating use, a condition that customs, prosecutors and courts still read differently. At the same time, hemp flower sold for smoking can, for the first time, be taxed as tobacco. Italy has gone much further. In April 2025, the government used emergency powers to reclassify hemp flowers and flower-derived cannabinoids as narcotic, putting much of its hemp flower trade at risk overnight. At the same time France seems to follow a quite progressive approach with hemp/CBD.
Real clarity can likely only come from Europe. A pending case before the EU Court of Justice will decide whether Italy’s restrictions are compatible with EU rules on approved hemp varieties. Together with the revision of the Tobacco Products Directive, that ruling could give hemp products one classification that holds across borders.
What Comes Next
Dortmund made one thing clear: the products are ready, but the rules around them need to progress. Medical cannabis needs clear pharmaceutical standards. New plant-based products need to know whether they count as tobacco, food or something else. And hemp needs one classification that holds across borders. The definition of hemp has proven to be a puzzle many countries have not been able to untangle, and now the entire continent is facing a generation of consumers that seeks the least harmful products. Entrepreneurs and investors alike are hungry for rules to comply and finally compete without the difficult gray areas that lack of regulations ends up creating.
Europe is not one cannabis market but many, each moving at its own speed. The lesson from Dortmund is simple: companies that invest in quality, transparency and compliance now will be ready when the rules finally catch up. That is, assuming they will.
Aleksandra Vujinović is a German lawyer and founder of AV LEGAL, a boutique law firm for corporate, cannabis and investments. Specializing in German cannabis regulation and European market access, she helps domestic and international companies, founders and investors develop their business cases and set up operations. Combining legal and business strategy, she builds bridges between Latin American and European cannabis markets. She is also co-founder of EmpowHer Cannabis Society, a global B2B network for women in cannabis.
Juliana Salazar is a Colombian attorney and entrepreneur with 10 years of experience advising companies and investors on legal strategy, regulatory compliance and international expansion. She is Of Counsel for Colombia and South America at Rudick Law Group, a New York law firm specializing in cannabis. Her work focuses on cannabis regulation, cross-border transactions, and building commercially viable businesses in emerging markets, connecting international opportunities with a practical understanding of Colombia’s legal and business environment.