The legal international cannabis industry is expanding at a significant rate, with Germany serving as ground zero for global expansion. The European country is the top destination for medical cannabis product exports from other countries, having received over 201 tonnes of cannabis products from abroad in just the 2025 calendar year alone. Germany’s legal medical cannabis patient base continues to experience exponential growth year after year, and medical product import totals are reflective of increasing demand.
One of Germany’s top medical cannabis companies is Sanity Group. The German-based company recently made international headlines after it announced that it is being acquired by global cannabis industry powerhouse Organigram.
Finn A. Hänsel is currently the Managing Director and one of the founders of Sanity Group. He is also a board member of the Federal Association of German Startups (Bundesverband Deutsche Startups) and acts as a mentor for the start-up accelerator Techstars. Mr. Hänsel will be speaking at both the upcoming members-only Talman House investor event in Berlin and the International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC), also in Berlin, next month. Below is an interview with Mr. Hänsel in the lead-up to the events:
Finn A. Hänsel is currently the Managing Director and one of the founders of Sanity Group.
What motivated you to get involved in the medical cannabis industry?
I was the leader of the Young Conservative Party (“Junge Union”) in Northern Germany when a private experience changed my view about cannabis significantly. That was in 2003. Since then, I was a strong advocate of medical cannabis specifically and became an advocate of cannabis in general. I spent the beginning of my career in FMCG, management consulting (BCG) and building digital tech start-ups. But when then in 2017, the German government decided to regulate Medical Cannabis, I knew it was time to do what I am passionate about and build a company that will make a difference in European cannabis.
You co-founded Sanity Group in 2018, when Germany’s legal medical cannabis industry was still very young. Looking back, how has the growth of your company and the wider German industry over the years matched up against your initial expectations?
Our initial business plans were much more aggressive than it turned out to be in reality. But then at the end, every startup starts like that and without that healthy optimism, probably no one would create companies. And especially in cannabis, the regulatory environment can turn out to be a rollercoaster: CBD novel food, medical cannabis, recreational cannabis, pilot projects, clubs, home grow – the environment can change very quickly depending on political majorities. But with the changes of 2024 in Germany, we are very happy and the market is developing very promising. However, there is still much regulatory work to be done!
What are some valuable lessons that you have learn
