Ten Recommendations for Government - Discussion Paper - UK Medical Cannabis and CBD Market

A major new report published today by Maple Tree Consultants, in conjunction with Mackrell.Solicitors sets out what Government can do to address what is currently a great missed opportunity for the country to secure the economic and patient benefits of a new approach to medical cannabis and CBD well-being products.

Currently, there are practically no UK patients benefitting from access to medical cannabis despite the law change of November 2018.  There have been negligible numbers of NHS prescriptions, and only a few thousand private prescriptions, issued.  In addition, restrictive and convoluted laws and regulations around licensing and cultivation are strangling the birth of an industry that, with a more proactive approach from the Government, could be worth £2Bn pa, create up to 50,000 new jobs and transform patient access.

 The paper highlights the:

• somewhat bizarre situation that 100% of medical cannabis products used in the UK are currently imported, despite the fact that the UK is the largest exporter of medical cannabis in the world. 
• that the majority of CBD well-being products consumed in the UK are also imported and that the recently introduced Novel Foods measures threatened to freeze out many smaller, but still high quality, UK-based CBD producers.
• UK Hemp industry is still held back by outdated laws that mean only the stems of the hemp plants can be used with the seeds and flowers (which contain economically valuable CBD) have to be destroyed in the field.
• The paper contains a set of 10 recommendations for Government which, if adopted, will transform patient access and help the UK take economic advantage of this rapidly developing field.

The paper contains a set of 10 recommendations for Government which, if adopted, will transform patient access and help the UK take economic advantage of this rapidly developing field.

To download the paper please follow this link Ten Recommendations for Government | MapleTreeConsultants

MTC give special thanks to you for endorsing their paper and we hope together we can make a difference.