Portugal's Medicinal Cannabis Exports Top 66 Tonnes in First Half, Even as Trafficking Case Shadows Sector

Infarmed data show export volumes already exceeding 80% of last year's total, while a separate criminal probe alleges traffickers exploited licensing gaps.

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Portugal's medicinal cannabis exports exceeded 66 tonnes in the first six months of this year, according to data from Infarmed, the country's medicines regulator, as reported by The Portugal News. The figure — 66,305 kilograms — already surpasses 80% of the total exported for all of last year.

A Steep Growth Curve

The pace marks a continuation of rapid expansion in Portugal's export-oriented medicinal cannabis industry. Infarmed's figures, cited by The Portugal News, show exported volume tripled two years ago, rising from 11,973 kilograms to 31,188 kilograms, before climbing to more than 79 tonnes last year. The European Union remains the dominant destination, with Germany, Spain and Denmark named by Infarmed as the leading buyers.

Domestic Prescriptions Also Rising

Alongside export growth, Infarmed recorded 5,413 domestic prescriptions for cannabis-based preparations and substances with marketing authorization in the first half of this year, The Portugal News reported. That compares with 7,023 for the whole of last year and 4,143 in 2024. Portugal's 2018 law allows any licensed physician to prescribe such treatments through pharmacies, but only after conventional therapies have failed or caused significant side effects. Infarmed has approved indications including chemotherapy-related nausea, HIV and hepatitis combination therapy, Tourette syndrome, palliative appetite stimulation, chronic pain and severe childhood epilepsy.

Oversight Figures Show Some Inconsistency

Infarmed said 43 entities were authorized for cultivation and manufacturing by the end of the first half. The regulator's inspection totals as reported by The Portugal News are not fully consistent: the outlet's opening summary cites 57 inspections conducted "during the same period" as the export surge, while later figures in the same report attribute 57 inspections to last year in full (up from 38 the year before) and 32 inspections — 27 of them at cultivation sites — to the first half of this year specifically. It is unclear from the published figures which inspection count applies to which period. Infarmed has said it tightened control procedures over the past two years, including suspending, revoking or declining to renew authorizations where requirements were not met.

Trafficking Case Runs in Parallel

The growth comes as prosecutors pursue one of Portugal's largest drug trafficking investigations, which alleges a criminal network exploited weaknesses in Infarmed's licensing system to divert cannabis to illegal markets, according to Portugal Resident, which cited details of the indictment reported by Jornal de Notícias. The case, tied to an investigation called Operation Erva Daninha, has led to charges against 24 defendants, including a pharmaceutical-sector businessman and a lawyer accused of drug trafficking, criminal association and document forgery. Portugal Resident reported the group allegedly operated since 2020 and forged import certificates from Guinea-Bissau, the Republic of the Congo and Kenya to disguise shipments as legitimate exports. Searches roughly a year ago yielded seizures of more than seven tonnes of cannabis and about €400,000 in cash, the outlet reported. Prosecutors, as cited by Portugal Resident, said the allegations do not implicate the wider regulated industry but underscore the need for stronger verification controls.

Regional Competition Emerging

Portugal's position as Europe's leading medicinal cannabis exporter is also facing competitive pressure, according to MMJDaily, which reported that Spain, Czechia and Malta are each carving out roles in the European supply chain. Arnau Valdovinos, founder and analyst at Cannamonitor, told MMJDaily that Spain is unlikely to simply replace Portugal despite having comparable growing infrastructure, citing a more burdensome regulatory framework that requires cultivation and GMP processing under one roof, unlike Portugal's split GACP-to-GMP model. Valdovinos said Czechia and Malta are better positioned to absorb Portugal's trading-and-conversion business model, partly due to Czechia's proximity to Germany and narrowing cost differences since regional energy prices rose. MMJDaily also reported that roughly 90% of Portuguese exports go to Germany, a concentration that differs from the broader Germany-Spain-Denmark destination mix described by Infarmed to The Portugal News.

What to Watch

Our database shows related coverage flagging both regulatory friction and demand strength for Portuguese product: reporting has noted Infarmed delays in license renewals costing producers months, alongside separate coverage of German medical cannabis imports from Portugal and Canada hitting record levels. Whether the trafficking prosecution results in tighter licensing checks — and whether that affects the pace of export growth or Portugal's competitive standing against Spain, Czechia and Malta — remains to be seen as the criminal case and Infarmed's own inspection regime continue to unfold.