Lesotho secures EU cannabis certification

A Lesotho-based cannabis cultivator and manufacturer has gained access to the lucrative European market. MG Health, which was founded in 2017, now meets the EU’s good manufacturing practice standards. This allows it to export the medicinal cannabis flower as an active pharmaceutical ingredient to the EU. Business Insider reports that it is the first manufacturer in Africa to attain this certification and hopes to have its first shipment sent in June. The initial exports are expected to go directly to Germany which has the highest usage of medicinal cannabis in Europe. ‘We’ve followed a process with our partners in Germany in registering an extension to their narcotic licensing to include our products and we need to get the necessary import and export documentation before we can begin our first shipments,’ said company spokesperson Luke van der Nest.MG Health’s 5 000 square metre greenhouse is fitted with internal climate and houses plants which are dried and trimmed to produce 250kg of medical-grade cannabis flower every month. MG Health’s master plan is to increase this output to 100 tons of cannabis flower per year. The landlocked kingdom was one of the first countries in southern Africa to legalise the cultivation and use of medical cannabis.