In Europe’s evolving landscape of medical cannabis, Canify AG stands out as a company grounded not in hype, but in heritage. Led by Sascha Mielcarek, a veteran of the pharmaceutical world, the German operator is redefining how medical cannabis is produced, distributed, and perceived across the continent.
“My name is Sascha Mielcarek, born German and CEO of Canify AG,” he begins matter-of-factly. “We are part of the top 10 distribution companies in Germany. We distribute business to business into pharmacies and pharmaceutical distributors. We have one of the broadest portfolios — around 75 SKUs of dried flower, a purified extract line, the only sublingual spray in the market, and we’re developing an inhalation device for the medical market.”
A System Built on Regulation and Precision
Germany’s medical framework is famously strict, and Canify operates within its most intricate layers. “Germany is medical only, so it’s very different from the US and Canada. There’s no cannabis 2.0 — we’re very medical and very limited to the form factors we can serve,” Mielcarek explains.
In Germany, every product must be compoundable — meaning the final preparation is done at the pharmacy. “Germany is a compounding market. The pharmacy does the ultimate compounding step. So any product must be compoundable. For example, resin or edibles would come as a finished product and that cannot be marketed in general.”
That distinction keeps the German cannabis market firmly in the hands of pharmacists and physicians rather than lifestyle entrepreneurs. When asked if that might change anytime soon, Mielcarek is pragmatic: “I don’t think it will change anytime soon. I don’t expect Europe to go recreational in the next five to ten years.”
From Global Sourcing to Local Integrity
While Germany imports much of its product, Canify casts a wide net. “We take product from South Africa, Latin America, Canada, Portugal, Spain, North Macedonia, and Denmark,” Mielcarek says. “We have some friends in North Macedonia — PHCANN. Yes, we work with them. Sho Stefan.”
Even with such a global network, Canify’s roots remain anchored in the country’s 18,000-strong pharmacy system — a landscape built for precision, not scale. “There are no chains in Germany,” Mielcarek notes. “You can’t own more than three or four pharmacies. It’s a very rigid pharmaceutical law. You can’t build a chain. You can only own four.”
A Market Finding Its Maturity
The real turning point, Mielcarek says, came in April 2024 when Germany removed cannabis from its narcotics list. “Before, cannabis was treated as a narcotic. Since April 1, 2024, it’s been taken out of that list. You can now access cannabis via telemedicine. Doctors have less fear and stigma on prescribing, and more patients are daring to enter the formal medical market — patients who before had supplied themselves on the black market.”
Despite international headlines about “legalization,” he clarifies, “It’s still a fully medical market. There are pilot projects on cultivation clubs, but that doesn’t really work. The two things are very separate. The companies you meet around here are in the medical market.”
From Pharma to Phytomedicine
Canify’s foundation is built on the rigor of traditional pharmaceuticals. “Our vision is to keep growing as one of the few real medical players,” Mielcarek says. “We’re not betting on a recreational market. We want to become a real biotech company. Cannabis is only the first product we’re launching — we’ll add others and market them as medical products.”
With over two decades in pharma, Mielcarek brings an uncompromising approach to compliance and quality. “Before cannabis, I’d been 20 years in the traditional pharmaceutical industry. Our leadership team all have more than 20 years of experience in regulated markets. We take cannabis as a medical product, we take the regulations as medical regulations, and Canify is a very compliant and very serious company.”
The Patients Behind the System
When asked about the cultural side of cannabis — often celebrated in North America — Mielcarek draws a clear line. “You have different market segments. The typical flower patient is a self-paying customer who has experience before. There aren’t many physicians who would start a cannabis-naive patient on a flower product. The extract and sublingual market is more medical, where the doctor takes the initiative. In the flower segment, it’s the patient taking initiative, migrating from black market supply into telemedical and pharmacy supply.”
Still, he acknowledges the nuance: “The big discussion in Germany is what is a patient. The original medical market was more focused on chronic pain or HIV-positive patients. But the patients now entering the market are not all chronically ill — insomnia or mild depression are indications as well. I would still qualify them as patients.”
Looking Beyond Europe
When it comes to North America, Mielcarek’s perspective is pragmatic. “I doubt that Americans can predict Donald’s next move, so who am I to predict that?” he laughs. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the SAFE Banking Act or rescheduling. The companies we talk to internationally seem to have high hopes for some improvement in federal regulation.”
If the U.S. market eventually opens, Canify’s entry point will likely be through medical devices rather than flower. “We’re developing an inhalation device as a fully certified medical device. We have the rights to market it in the U.S., so if federal legalization happens, that’s where we would eventually enter.”
A Quiet Force in Europe’s Medical Movement
Canify AG may not chase headlines, but its impact is clear: bridging pharmaceutical discipline with plant-based innovation. In a continent still defining its relationship with cannabis, the company’s approach represents a model of what precision, patience, and professionalism can achieve.
“We do work with media, but very limited,” Mielcarek concludes. “We cannot really promote — it’s a medical market. But we can educate and we do that with thought leaders.”
As Europe moves cautiously toward broader reform, Canify’s consistency feels both radical and refreshing — a reminder that true progress, like precision, takes time.
🔗 For more on Canify AG visit https://canify.com
