Solicitors from one of the UK’s leading cannabis law firms, Mackrell.Solicitors, are celebrating their involvement in the release of a ground-breaking paper, which highlights the need for reform to assist the Medicinal Cannabis and CBD Wellness industry.

Put together by some of the industry’s leading experts, the report calls on the Government to slash red tape that is hampering a sector that could be worth many billions of pounds and that could support the needs of thousands of patients afflicted by a range of conditions.

Written by Maple Tree Consultants and Mackrell.Solicitors, the new paper is backed by sixteen industry leaders including Prohibition Partners, Primary Care Cannabis Network, Cannabis Trades Association, as well as the All Party Parliamentary Group on Drug Policy Reform.

Urging the Government to review its restrictive approach to the UK cannabis industry, the paper outlines six key points that could have a revolutionary impact on the nation’s cannabis industry.

These include:

  • Reform the high-THC cultivation/ controlled drug licence system.
  • Allow the cultivation of the hemp flower in order to extract CBD under an Industrial Hemp licence.
  • Increase the THC limit from 0.2% to 1% to align with international competition.
  • Ensure the application of the Novel Foods Regulation to cannabis-related wellbeing supplements does not impinge upon smaller market participants.
  • Encourage wider, appropriate patient access by allowing General Practitioners to prescribe medical cannabis.
  • Introduce an “Office for Medicinal Cannabis”, as implemented by other jurisdictions such as the Netherlands.

With a medicinal cannabis industry worth a potential £2 billion and the existing CBD Wellness industry already contributing circa. £300 million to the economy, the report’s authors believe it is time that the Government realises the economic and therapeutic potential of CBD and medicinal cannabis.

A Partner and Head of the Cannabis and Regulatory Team at Mackrell.Solicitors said: “This report is an important step in getting the Government to appreciate the potential that reform could have on the UK’s cannabis industries.

“At the moment, the complex regulatory landscape for medicinal cannabis makes it difficult for patients to access the help that they need and for producers to create effective medicines.

“As the report clearly spells out, this industry could be worth billions to the UK economy and create thousands of jobs at a time when the nation is trying to recover from the impact of COVID-19.

“Now is the time for the Government to take clear and decisive action and we hope that the findings of our report and the wide level of support it has will open up new discussions within Parliament that lead to real change.”

In a statement during the launch of the paper, Professor Mike Barnes, Co-Founder of Maple Tree Consultants, said: “Despite the UK having a reputation as a globally dominant medicinal cannabis producer, almost all of the medicinal cannabis products prescribed in the UK have, to date, been imported.

“The UK is a world leader with a global reputation in pharmaceuticals, so there is a strong argument that if we were able to both develop and export more cannabis-based medicines, we could continue to be a global heavyweight and increase our market share even further.

“The current situation has resulted in desperate patients, who even after being lucky enough to receive a medicinal cannabis prescription, face high costs and long waiting times. This is in turn leading to frustrated businesses, who are desperate to supply these domestic patients.”

A copy of the report can be found by clicking here.

This report has had wide coverage in the media, including:

  1. UK medical cannabis sector renews call for reform to kickstart growth – Financial Times (ft.com)
  2. Call For UK CBD And Medical Cannabis Reform – Hemp Gazette
  3. Groundbreaking paper sets out recommendations for UK cannabis industry -(healtheuropa.eu)
  4. A Thriving Legal UK Cannabis Industry Has The Potential To Create 100,000 Jobs – Businesscan
  5. Breakthrough paper arguments for reforms in the CBD and medical cannabis areas – Daily Medical Cannabis News
  6. CBD and medical cannabis industry could be worth £2 billion & create 97,000 new jobs, claims new study – Bdaily
  7. Ground-breaking Paper Argues for Reforms in CBD and Medical Cannabis Sectors  -canex.co.uk
  8. Study: UK Cannabis Industry could be worth $2.8B per year if these problems are fixed – Benzinga.com and Yahho!Finance
  9. UK Cannabis Experts Make Ten Recommendations for Industry Reform – Analytical Cannabis
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