Statutes

§ 1 Name, registered office, purpose and financial year

The association is named International Alliance for Cannabinoid Medicines, abbreviated IACM, and is a scientific association. The purpose of the association is the promotion of public health and public health care. The association has its registered office in 32839 Steinheim-Westfalen/Germany and is entered in the register of associations. Its fiscal year is the calendar year.

§ 2 Tasks and goals of the company

1. The Society is a non-denominational, non-partisan association and is independent of other organizations.

2. The purpose of the statutes is realized in particular through the promotion of knowledge about cannabis, cannabinoids, the endocannabinoid system and related topics, especially with regard to their therapeutic potential. The purpose of the statutes is realized in particular by:

   • Support research on cannabis, its products, and the endocannabinoid system;

   • To promote the exchange of information among researchers, health professionals, patients, and the public; /nuPrepare and disseminate reliable information on the pharmacology, toxicology, and therapeutic potential of cannabis and modulators of the endocannabinoid system;

   • Monitor and document national and international developments in cannabinoid therapeutics;

   • Establishment of national branches of the IACM;

   • Informal support of patient advocacy groups on cannabis as medicine;

   • Collaborate with other organizations and associations that share IACM's mission and goals.

3. The Association exclusively and directly pursues charitable purposes within the meaning of the section "Tax-privileged purposes" of the German Tax Code as amended.

§ 3 Selflessness and use of association funds

1. The IACM is a non-profit association. It operates selflessly and does not primarily pursue its own economic purposes.

2. The Association's funds may only be used for the purposes set out in the Articles of Association. The members do not receive any benefits from the association's funds.

3. No person may benefit from expenses that are alien to the purpose of the corporation or from disproportionately high remuneration.

§ 4 Membership

1. Members of the International Alliance for Cannabinoid Medicines are:

   a. Full members

   b. national associations

   c. Associate members

2. Full members are:

   • Individuals who have graduated from medical or pharmacy school,

   • Cannabis and cannabinoid researchers with another graduate degree,

   • Students of all branches of medicine and pharmacy medical institutions and organizations.

     Membership must be applied for in writing. The Board of Directors decides on the application for full membership (ordinary membership). Registered or unregistered associations can be admitted as a national association.

3. The members of the board of the national association must be full or associate members of IACM. A prerequisite for acquiring membership is that the national association guarantees to operate in accordance with the purposes of the IACM.

   The admission procedure for ordinary members applies accordingly.

4. Other persons or institutions are associate members.

5. Only full members have the right to vote at general meetings. All members of the Society have the right to actively participate in IACM General Meetings, including the right to speak and propose motions.

6. Membership in the Society shall terminate upon death or upon resignation or expulsion from the Society. Resignation from the Society must be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors and may take effect at the end of any quarter.

7. In the event of good cause, the Executive Board may decide to expel a member from the Society. A member can be excluded if he or she violates the statutes and the interests of the Society, violates the resolutions and regulations of the Society or damages the reputation of the Society. The exclusion can also take place if the member is in arrears with the payment of membership fees for more than 6 months.

§ 5 Rights of the members

1. Regular members have the right to speak, make motions, and vote at IACM general meetings that are not open to the public.

2. National Associations and Associate Members have the right to speak and make motions at IACM General Meetings that are not open to the public. They are not entitled to vote.

3. All members have the right to submit written proposals to the Board of Directors and special bodies.

§ 6 Membership fee

The association is financed by membership fees and donations. The amount of the annual contributions is determined by the general meeting. The payment modalities are determined by the board of directors.

§ 7 Organs of the association

The organs of the association are as follows:

1. the general meeting

2. the board

3. Special bodies according to § 11 General Meeting

§8 General meeting

1. The general meeting is held annually before December 1. All members of the Association shall be officially invited by the Board at least four weeks in advance. The agenda shall be attached to the invitation.

2. An extraordinary General Meeting must be convened by the Executive Board if the interests of the Association require it or if at least one third of the members request this in writing, stating their reasons.

3. The General Meeting shall decide on the following matters:

   • Composition of the Board of Directors

   • Schedule of contributions

   • Guidelines of the association work

   • Discharge of the Management Board from misconduct

   • Business and financial report of the association

   • Amendments to the Articles of Association.

4. Every duly convened (ordinary or extraordinary) general meeting constitutes a quorum. Resolutions are passed by simple majority, unless they concern the statutes or the dissolution of the association.

5. The General Meeting shall pass its resolutions by a simple majority of the votes cast, with abstentions not counting as votes cast. In the event of a tie, a motion shall be rejected. Voting shall be by acclamation or by a show of hands. At the request of an ordinary member, voting shall be by secret ballot.

6. Minutes shall be taken of each General Meeting. It is to be signed by the chairman of the meeting and the secretary.

§ 9 Executive Board

1. The board consists of at least 5 and at most 15 members, including a 1st and 2nd chairperson/chairwoman and a treasurer.

2. The members of the Board must be full members of the Association.

3. The Board of Directors is elected by the General Meeting for a period of two years. The candidates who have received the majority of votes are elected. Abstentions are not counted. The dismissal of the board can only take place in the general meeting with a 3/4 majority of the members present. Re-election is permissible. The board remains in office after the expiration of the term until the next election.

4. Duties of the Board of Directors:

   • Preparation of the financial statements

   • Hiring or dismissal of the employees of the association

   • Management of current business

   • Accounting and administration of the association

   • Invitations to general meetings

   • Control of the work plan and budget

   • Maintaining external contacts

   • Public relations and submission of public reports between general meetings.

5. Board meetings are held at least once a year. Minutes are taken of each of these meetings. The minutes may be inspected by the members of the Association.

6. The Board of Management constitutes a quorum if half of its members are present at the meeting. Resolutions are passed by simple majority. The Executive Board is bound by the rules of procedure of the General Meeting.

7. The general meeting elects 3 members of the board as chairmen in the sense of § 8 sentence 1. These are managing directors in the sense of § 26 BGB (Appendix 2). The individual chairmen of the board can represent the association.

8. For the coordination of the work of the association, the IACM maintains a headquarters as the main office and other offices as required by the work of the association. All correspondence on behalf of the Association must be signed by at least one member of the Executive Board as defined in § 26 BGB (Appendix 2) or by a Managing Director as defined in § 10 of these Articles of Association, and the address of the Head Office must be included in the letterhead. The authority to sign correspondence may be officially delegated by the Executive Board.

§ 10 Special representatives

1. The Board of Directors may appoint up to two Managing Directors to manage the current business of the Alliance as special representatives pursuant to § 30 BGB. Within the scope of their special representation pursuant to § 30 BGB, the managing directors are authorized to represent the association.

2. The scope of the management and representation authority shall be regulated in writing between the Executive Board and the management. The board of directors appoints and dismisses the managing director.

§ 11 Special bodies

1. Special bodies may include the Patient Council or any other body that the IACM deems necessary or useful to carry out its mission.

2. The number of members of the special bodies of the Alliance shall be determined by the General Assembly. The application for the establishment of a special body shall specify the composition of the members or the method of determining their membership.

3. Members of a special body can be natural and legal persons. The members of the special body need not be members of the IACM. In establishing a special body, due consideration shall be given to the structure of the Alliance.

4. Each member of the special body shall have one vote. The right to vote is not transferable.

5. The term of office of the special body shall be determined by the general meeting. The general meeting may dismiss the special body. The term of office of the special body may not exceed the term of office of the Executive Board.

6. The general meeting determines the tasks and rights of the special bodies. The general meeting can grant a special body according to § 9 the right to make motions and to call an extraordinary general meeting.

§ 12 Forms of work of the special body

1. The special body elects a spokesperson and a deputy from among its members, who chair, prepare and follow up the meetings.

2. It shall give an account of its activities to the general meeting. The general meeting may determine certain working methods by resolution.

§ 13 Cash audit

1. The general meeting elects two cash auditors and one deputy. Their term of office lasts until the election of successors, which takes place every two years.

2. The cash auditors have the right to audit the finances and books of the association at any time. They shall submit their report to the General Meeting. The cash auditors may not be members of the board or a body appointed by the board and may not be employees of the association.

§ 14 Amendments to the Articles of Association

Amendments to the statutes can only be made with a 3/4 majority of the voting members present. Amendments to the Articles of Association must be announced with the invitation to the General Meeting.

§ 15 Dissolution of the association

1. The dissolution of the Association can only be decided in a General Meeting convened for this purpose with a 2/3 majority of the voting members present.

2. In the event of the dissolution of the Association or in the event of the discontinuation of tax-privileged purposes, the assets of the Association shall be transferred to the German Working Group on Cannabis as Medicine (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Cannabis als Medizin e.V.) with its registered office in Cologne (Register of Associations of the Local Court of Cologne, number 12697), which shall use them directly and exclusively for charitable purposes. Resolutions of the General Meeting on the future use of the funds can only become effective after the Board has received the approval of the tax office.

§ 16 Minutes of meetings

Minutes must be taken of the meetings of the bodies of the Association. These minutes must be submitted to the office within two weeks of the meeting.

§ 17 Entry into force

These Articles of Association shall enter into force upon the adoption of a resolution by the Founders' Meeting on December 18, 2021 and upon entry into the Register of Associations.

The fee may be reduced upon application to the Executive Board, especially for national associations in developing countries.