Medellin’s FCM Global Becomes 1st Fully Licensed Medical Cannabis Producer-Exporter

Medellin-based FCM Global announced October 3 that it has become the first Colombian medical-marijuana producer to win all four required licenses for cultivation, processing, manufacture and export of “low-THC” cannabis-oil extracts.

“Recently issued by the Colombian Ministry of Justice, this export license complements FCM’s existing regulatory approvals, granted to the organization in August 2017, to legally cultivate, process, and manufacture low-THC medical cannabis oil extracts,” according to FCM.

FCM is “well-positioned to create CBD [cannabidiol hemp oil] extracts at a low cost of production and to distribute finished oils for domestic and international markets with legalized medical/research frameworks,” according to the company.

“Our purpose is to serve as a collaborative partner to pharmaceutical firms, research organizations, and other wellness-focused companies, and to help develop new scientific formulations and extracts that meet our clients’ specific needs within these critical sectors,” added FCM CEO Carlos Velasquez.

Colombia’s regulatory framework, “ideal equatorial growing location, and deep talent pool of medical cannabis experience makes it the best place on Earth to produce scalable volumes of terpene-rich cannabinoid extracts in an environmentally-friendly way,” according to the company, which has offices in Medellin and operations in the nearby suburb of La Ceja, Antioquia.

FCM’s “co-sourced Colombia” model “enables finished goods manufacturers globally to benefit from Colombia’s comparative advantages in medical cannabis (accelerated and lower-cost research, cultivation, and oil extraction) without sacrificing levels of control, efficiency, or quality,” according to the company.

PharmaCielo Update

Another Medellin-based medical-marijuana company that’s well-along in obtaining all required licenses is PharmaCielo (see “PharmaCielo Buys Marijuana Farm, Nursery in Rionegro,” Medellin Herald, July 25, 2016.)

Aside from PharmaCielo and FCM Global, other Colombian companies obtaining some (but not all four) licenses include Cannavida, Ecomedics, Cannalivio, Econnabis and Pideka, while 22 other companies have petitioned for licenses, according to a recent report from Colombian business newspaper Portafolio.

The proposed licenses are for operations in Antioquia, Cauca, Casanare, Magdalena, Meta, Santander, Cundinamarca, Tolima and Valle del Cauca, according to that report.