After the “iconic” cannabis firm’s announcement last year, Cookies is planning to open its first stores in Europe – London and Vienna, to be more precise – in the coming weeks.
In a statement sent to Canex, Cookies, an established cannabis brand founded in 2010, headquartered in San Francisco, announced a partnership with the Israeli InterCure to bring medical cannabis to Europe.
According to the agreement, the parties entered into a multiyear deal under which InterCure, one of the leading medical cannabis firms outside North America, will establish Cookies stores and medical cannabis pharmacies in the United Kingdom and Austria early this year.
Parker Berling, President of Cookies, said: “As we focus on new territories, it’s vital our customers continue to count on the quality Cookies is known for, which is a value we share with our partners at InterCure.
“We look forward to reaching audiences in Austria and the United Kingdom and establishing Cookies as a mainstay in each community.”
InterCure, a Cookies’ international partner, is already cultivating, manufacturing and distributing GMP standard, Cookies-branded products through its Cookies national medical cannabis pharmacy chain.
InterCure will leverage its licensed international supply chain to serve the growing communities of medical cannabis patients in Europe.
Alexander Rabinovitch, CEO of InterCure, added: “Cookies is one of the most internationally recognized brands in cannabis, and after our mutual success in Israel, it’s only obvious we further our expansion to Europe, providing the highest quality grade cannabis products.”
The tide is clearly changing in Europe – businesses from North America have realised the potential the booming European market could offer.
Medical cannabis use is becoming increasingly popular among those looking for alternative options or for whom other treatments have proved ineffective. CBD has also become a popular health supplement due to its potential ability to relieve a number of ailments and enhance general wellness.
Official NHS numbers show that approximately one in four adults (11.5 million people) in England were prescribed potentially addictive medicines between 2017 and 2018.
While the situation in the UK may not have been as fatal as in other countries, the high risk of addiction to these medications concerns both doctors and patients alike.
Professor Mike Barnes, Co-Founder of Maple Tree Consultancy, told Canex a few months ago: “Medicinal cannabis has emerged as a promising alternative pain reliever for those suffering from chronic pain.”
“Many countries now allow or are in advanced stages of considering medical cannabis to be widely available for clinicians to prescribe.
“An effective alternative to opioids in the management of chronic pain can help manage the crisis, and these pioneering countries (The Netherlands, Canada, Israel) prove medical cannabis is showing real potential towards this end.
“I think it’s only right that the industry takes medical cannabis seriously in this regard.”
Every new player in this ever-growing industry should be welcomed if the result is more patients getting the appropriate help they need and deserve.
