Operator Tips, Volume 3: Cannabis Markets Still Operate Separately… Right? Not Anymore
In edition 1 of Operator Tips, we talked about remediation and the compliance myth: you remediate, you pass testing, and you assume you’re protected.
In edition 2, we looked at vape products and post-sale exposure: a product can pass testing and still create liability once real-world storage conditions, consumer use, and foreseeable risk enter the picture.
After attending ICBC Berlin, I kept hearing another version of the same assumption, this time on a global scale: many operators still believe cannabis markets are developing independently. Separate regulations, separate supply chains, separate medical programs. The global cannabis industry is still fragmented…right?
Not anymore.
The Global Cannabis Industry Shift
At ICBC Berlin, many of the conversations felt very different from what operators often hear in U.S. cannabis markets. There was less focus on hype, less focus on rapid expansion, and less focus on “green rush” thinking. There was much more focus on:- GMP systems
- Pharmaceutical expectations
- Validated SOPs
- Traceability
- CAPA systems
- Quality management
- Export readiness
- Operational consistency
Germany Is Influencing The Global Cannabis Industry
Germany came up constantly throughout ICBC because many operators view it as one of the most important medical cannabis markets in the world. In Germany and throughout much of Europe, cannabis is increasingly viewed through a pharmaceutical framework. The conversation shifts from: “Can this product pass testing?” to: “Can the operator demonstrate control of the process?” That is a very different operational mindset.
Global Cannabis Is Beginning To Work In Unison
Countries are no longer developing in isolation. Operators in Germany, Portugal, Colombia, Canada, Australia, Israel, and the United States are increasingly watching each other closely operationally, medically, financially, and regulatorily. Many U.S.-based cannabis businesses are already preparing for the possibility that future opportunities may extend far beyond individual state markets. Some operators are actively exploring international relationships. Others are studying export markets, medical frameworks, and global operational standards. And some businesses have quietly been positioning themselves overseas for years. That matters because global cannabis is no longer simply a collection of isolated local markets. It is slowly becoming an interconnected international industry operating under increasing medical, operational, and quality expectations.The Global Cannabis Supply Chain Is Expanding
Canada has emerged as the dominant global exporter of medical cannabis, while countries like Portugal increasingly function as processing and distribution gateways into European medical markets. Countries including Canada, Portugal, Colombia, Australia, Israel, and parts of Africa are increasingly positioning themselves within the global medical cannabis supply chain. Germany’s rapid medical cannabis growth is now being fueled by international supply chains involving multiple countries working together to support expanding patient demand and medical infrastructure. And once cannabis products begin crossing international borders, expectations around documentation, consistency, traceability, quality systems, and operational defensibility increase significantly.The Compliance Myth… Global Cannabis Edition
A lot of cannabis operators still treat compliance like the finish line:- Pass inspection.
- Pass testing.
- Maintain certification
Operator Tips
Strong systems do not eliminate exposure. They create defensibility when exposure becomes visible. One phrase came up repeatedly throughout conversations in Berlin: “If it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen.” That mindset is deeply embedded in pharmaceutical manufacturing and increasingly throughout global medical cannabis. Globally, documentation is increasingly viewed as operational proof. Those records matter because claims, recalls, and investigations are built around evidence.The CAPA Conversation
One of the strongest themes throughout ICBC Berlin was CAPA: Corrective and Preventive Action. The problem with informal systems is that they become difficult to defend later, especially when patterns begin appearing.- Repeated complaints.
- Recurring deviations.
- Environmental failures.
- Batch inconsistencies.
The Generational Shift In Cannabis Medicine
One of the more powerful moments for me at ICBC Berlin came from hearing Jesse Stanley, CEO of Stanley Brothers USA Holdings, share the story of Charlotte’s Web firsthand with me and my friend Holden Farahani inside an intimate German cannabis consumption lounge called Tribe, while speaking about where he sees cannabis medicine heading in the United States. That conversation carried a different level of perspective because it went far beyond products or business growth. It centered around the evolution of cannabis medicine, the normalization of plant-based wellness, and the generational shift now taking place throughout the industry (Thanks to Heidi Whitman for making the introduction and creating the opportunity for that conversation.) A major part of the discussion centered around the 60-and-up demographic, a generation raised during the D.A.R.E. era and decades of fear-based anti-cannabis education that positioned cannabis as a gateway drug. That perspective matters because many of the consumers now entering the cannabis conversation medically are not younger recreational users. They are:- Older adults
- Parents
- Retirees
- Patients
- People searching for alternatives
- Individuals who spent most of their lives being taught that cannabis was dangerous
- Consistency
- Operational maturity
- Product reliability
- Transparency
- Defensible systems
The Risk Management Reality for Global Cannabis
Risk management rarely focuses only on whether something bad happened. It also evaluates whether:- Systems existed
- Procedures were followed
- Deviations were documented
- Investigations occurred
- Corrective actions were implemented
- Operational controls were real
Why Operator Tips Exist
Operator Tips exists because risk management knowledge in cannabis is often reactive. It usually appears after:- Something goes wrong
- Money is spent
- Relationships are damaged
- A claim is denied
- Operators discover that compliance and protection were never the same thing
About the Author
Jeremy Ortiz is a Cannabis Insurance Coverage Specialist at Risk Strategies (a Brown & Brown company), helping licensed cannabis operators across the U.S. and Canada protect what they’ve built through smarter insurance and risk planning. A sun-grown cannabis cultivator since age 19 and advocate of natural plant medicine, he brings a different, operator-first perspective to risk management. Through Operator Tips, his goal is clear: get operators thinking proactively before a claim forces the conversation.
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