Medical cannabis industry in Portugal: opportunity or opportunism

• Autor(a) principal: Guerreiro, Miguel Filipe Estibeira
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/132601
• topic: Medical cannabis; Portugal; International competitiveness; Industry development; Domínio/Área Científica::Ciências Sociais::Economia e Gestão

The recent shift in laws regarding cannabis use has made the medical cannabis industry an attractive business. As it starts to develop in Portugal, this study intends to characterize the state of the industry in Portugal and define opportunities that the country can take advantage of. After framing the industry under the Porter’s Diamond of National Advantage, representatives of companies operating in Portugal provided insights based on their experiences. Findings suggest the nation possesses a set of conditions that make it attractive for cannabis companies, but inefficiencies and lack of infrastructure have damaged the industry development. As such, the government needs to play an active role as a facilitator of development and take further action, so that ultimately the domestically based companies can maintain a lasting international advantage.