Business of cannabis reports
Yesterday the first-ever parliamentary debate on the UK’s rapidly growing medical cannabis industry took place in Westminster Hall, focusing on the ‘economic contribution of medical cannabis’ in the UK.
The debate, which was led by Conservative MP David Mundell, represented a significant step forward for the UK’s industry in being publicly recognised by the government for its potential for good, both for patients and the economy.
Furthermore, it saw MPs lay out in no uncertain terms where action needed to be taken by the government to enable both the UK’s medical cannabis and CBD industry to thrive.
While the subject of the debate broke new ground, the outcome felt all too familiar, with just half a dozen MPs turning up to take part and the government stating it has ‘done all it can to remove legislative barriers’, before placing the responsibility on the cannabis industry to ‘prove that their products are safe and effective’.
The economic case for medical cannabis
Mr Mundell, the former Secretary of State for Scotland, began the afternoon session by laying out his case for the economic and health benefits of the medical cannabis industry to those present, which included Minister of State for the Department of Health and Social Care Will Quince.
He explained that some 17,000 UK patients were estimated to have been prescribed medical cannabis last year, but that ‘for all its successes’, the UK’s medical cannabis industry ‘could be so much more’.
Making an effort the emphasise that the industry was ‘legitimate’, and that the products ‘don’t come from somebody’s loft, but from laboratories’, he explained that it was an industry of ‘rigorous standards’ and ‘stringent safety and security protocols’.
He continued that it was ‘not just the standard, but the volume which is of note’, with ‘some 59 hectares’ of cannabis harvested in the UK in 2021, but of those 329 tonnes, 213 were exported out of the UK, ‘more than half of the world total’.
Referencing Hilltop Leaf, which operates in his constituency, Mr Mundell said that beyond ‘these headline figures was the impact this industry can have on local businesses and communities’, and it would be capable of meeting 10% of the UK’s 2019 domestic needs’.
This economic case was echoed by major UK industry stakeholders, including Nicholas Morland, CEO of Tenacious Labs and Secretariat of the APPG for Industrial Hemp & CBD Products.
“Today’s Westminster Hall debate about the economic contribution of medical cannabis, and David Mundell MP’s call for a more coordinated and focused approach to supporting the sector, are both timely and important.
“As the APPG for Industrial Hemp and CBD Products reports, the UK cannabis sector has the potential to generate up to £5.5 billion in annual tax revenue and deliver up to 594,000 jobs, a great many of them in rural areas. Medical cannabis will provide a large chunk of this.
“The UK industry is already significant and growing. As Mr Mundell rightly points out, there are still obstacles to overcome in terms of access to prescriptions, and the need for greater knowledge and understanding among medical professionals.”
“Parents have struggled to raise thousands of pounds just to keep their children alive, this government has ignored them. Once we start highlighting the potential to make money, the UK government’s ears prick up” – Ronnie Cowen, SNP
These obstacles, according to Mr Mundell, include an ‘incoherent approach’ from the UK government which is ‘pointing those who are desperate towards illegal markets’.
They also ‘stretch to UK’s CBD industry’, which he said was the ‘second largest in the world’, with laws which require hemp farmers to destroy most of the plant hampering growth.
Furthermore, he said that the fact the UK imports the majority of its products, meant ‘UK supply chains do not benefit’.
Celadon’s CEO James Short, who said he was ‘delighted that politicians are recognising the importance of the UK’s burgeoning and cutting-edge medical cannabis sector’, emphasised this point.
“Currently, patients prescribed medical cannabis in the UK are reliant on imported product, often facing lengthy delays and high costs. UK-based cultivators and manufacturers, such as Celadon, are essential to alleviating these barriers to access, and we welcome MPs’ timely consideration of the challenges facing the industry and patients.”
Finally, Mr Mundell called on the UK government to ‘appoint a senior advisor with a mandate to engage directly with the industry, with coherent and consistent oversight’.
Read more at
