The ICBC is the largest B2B cannabis event in Europe. Event director Alex Rogers hosted the ICBC in Berlin for the first time in 2017, shortly after the “Cannabis as Medicine” law came into effect. He had previously launched the first ICBC in the USA in 2014. Before that, Rogers had spent 30 years working as a hemp activist. His mentor was the internationally renowned cannabis expert Jack Herer, who passed away in 2010. The momentum for
Like no one else, Rogers has connected the North American and European cannabis industries through his event series. Business deals worth hundreds of millions have resulted from contacts made at the ICBC, giving many European cannabis companies access to capital for the first time. Rogers expects 5,000 visitors from 70 different countries in Berlin alone this year. The momentum could not be better: The upcoming government has just recently announced its coalition agreement.
krautinvest.de: Alex, everyone in Germany was waiting for the coalition agreement. In Germany the industry seemed to be relieved. How did North American players react to the coalition agreement?
Alex Rogers: All of the top industry members in North America have kept a close eye on Germany. Everyone has plans, either in the near future or in the long term, to try to get into Germany’s emerging market. The announcement that the new governing coalition left the CanG law unchanged was welcomed news and boosted confidence in Germany’s industry for North American investors and entrepreneurs. Future regulatory evaluations are on the horizon, and Germany’s industry model will continue to evolve just as it does in every other legal jurisdiction, so everyone will continue to monitor the situation in Germany from North America. But the coalition agreement was welcomed news in Canada and the U.S., just as it was in Germany.
Disclaimer: This interview is part of a media partnership with ICBC. Our readers get 30% discount with the code MJCOMMS30 via this link.
krautinvest.de: Now with more certainty about the future of German cannabis – do you expect investments and M&A activities to accelerate in Germany?
Alex Rogers: Absolutely. Whenever there are questions marks in a market, especially questions involving potential reversals of legalization, that is going to dramatically impact potential investments and M&A activity. No one who is serious about investing and funding is going to make major moves when there is so much uncertainty involved. With that being said, investment firms and other entities can now go full steam ahead in Germany, knowing that their funds will be placed into a market that is firmly in place and here to stay. Germany’s market is in a state of evolution, which is true of all legal markets around the world, so it is important to always perform proper due diligence. I recommend that investors consider becoming a member of The Talman House, which helps streamline the process for its members.
„Proving in real-time that modernized policies are effective and that regulation is better than prohibition.“
krautinvest.de: Which kind of stakeholders are currently most interested in the German market?
Alex Rogers: The German market is very exciting and possesses tremendous potential. It is the top market in Europe, and anyone who succeeds in Germany will be well-positioned to expand elsewhere in Europe. Because of that, all of the top investors around the world are focused on Germany right now, particularly investors in the medical cannabis and research sectors. Germany is also the most populated nation to have adopted a national adult-use legalization measure so far, so there is a lot of interest from entrepreneurs and entities that specialize in home cultivation equipment, consumption gadgets, and other sectors that focus on individual consumers. Industry service providers such as technology and data companies are also very interested in the German market, and entities that provide cannabis education services seem to also be increasingly focusing on Germany.
krautinvest.de: What is your outlook for cannabis in Europe for the next year?
Alex Rogers: The rest of 2025 and into 2026 will be very pivotal for cannabis policy in Europe. Medical cannabis is clearly here to stay in Europe, and the medical sector will continue to expand across the continent for the next year and beyond, particularly in countries like Slovenia. While adult-use cannabis is less clear, I do think that it is safe to say that there will be some expansion of it in Europe over the next year, albeit at a slower pace compared to medical. I expect one or two more nations to adopt national adult-use legalization measures by the end of 2026, for ‚cannabis light‘ industry regulations to be put in place to help with that sector, and for Germany to continue to lead the effort to modernize European Union agreements so that the adult-use industry can go beyond what is currently allowed. A major factor that is working in the industry’s favor is that it is proving in real-time that modernized policies are effective and that regulation is better than prohibition. As we learned in North America, the more markets that operate successfully, the more momentum is created for the next market to be permitted to operate. Getting the first prohibition dominoes to fall is always the hardest, and European advocates have done that. We now have real examples of success to point to, and the list of successful examples will continue to grow over the next year, giving advocates in Europe more to work with. The industry snowball is rolling down the hill and will only get bigger as time moves on, and that is truly exciting to think about.
Disclaimer: This interview is part of a media partnership with ICBC. Our readers get 30% discount with the code MJCOMMS30 via this link.