Groundbreaking paper claims outdated laws and regulations are hindering the UK’s CBD and medicinal cannabis industry

A groundbreaking paper, released today, has revealed the outdated laws and regulations currently hindering the UK’s CBD and medicinal cannabis industry for companies such as Brown’s CBD. The paper calls on the Government to review its restrictive approach to the UK cannabis industry, which could be worth billions of pounds and create tens of thousands of jobs.

Not only would the emergence of a domestic cannabis sector help stimulate the UK economy post-pandemic, it would transform access for the estimated 1.4 million individuals currently sourcing cannabis illegally for medical reasons, who are in desperate need of affordable cannabis medicine. 

In November 2018, the government announced medical cannabis could be prescribed for patients by specialist doctors, but so far just three NHS prescriptions and 6,000 private prescriptions have been issued. Despite being one of the largest exporters of medical cannabis in the world, currently, the UK imports 100% of its cannabis medicine and the majority of its CBD products, due to the contradictory legislation on medical cannabis, and the convoluted licencing and regulatory processes required for businesses entering the space. Sadly, patients themselves have largely footed the bill for these issues, with the majority of prescriptions paid for privately by patients and their families.

Written by Maple Tree Consultants and Mackrell.Solicitors, the discussion paper is supported by sixteen industry heavyweights including Prohibition Partners and the Primary Care Cannabis Network. Its findings refer to distinct areas of the cannabis industry, including CBD, hemp and medical cannabis.

Recommendations to Government:

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