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Opinion & Blogs

thought leaders, experts, and enthusiasts from the cannabis sector share their insights and experiences. Here, you’ll find a range of topics, from articles on policy and regulatory changes, to research findings, member experiences, and expert analyses on market trends that explore the complexities and successes of the cannabis industry, within the UK and globally.

Blogs

End-of-Year Message from CIC Co-Chairs

CIC Co-Chairs Dr Callie Seaman and Jamie Bartley offer their thoughts on the past year As 2024 draws to a close, we are delighted to reflect on a year of significant progress and collaboration within the cannabis industry. Our collective efforts have not only advanced our industry but have also

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The first patient to obtain NHS flower reimbursement

Michael Roberts (MR) is reportedly the first NHS patient to be reimbursed for cannabis flower medicine to manage chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). A case study about MR’s condition and subsequent reimbursement has been written by Roberts M, Brown M D, Moreno-Sanz G, and published by Cureus (part of Springer

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Politician and tennis legend to speak at Cannabis Europa

Content provided by: Cannabis Europa Cannabis Europa, the premier conference for the emerging European cannabis industry, is thrilled to announce its lineup of headline speakers for the 2024 edition. Set to take place from June 25-26 at the Barbican Centre in London, this year’s conference and expo promises to be

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ESG Benefits of an Expanded Medicinal Cannabis Market 3

Lesotho facility shows ESG credentials

By Scott Henson of Morama Holdings South Africa’s Morama Holdings is bringing sun-grown cannabis to patients, alongside a commitment to sustainability and community. Nestled in the stunning Maloti Mountains of Lesotho, a country enclaved within South Africa, is Morama’s cultivation facility, spanning over 45 hectares. Lesotho wasn’t merely a location

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ICBC Barcelona links up with Spannabis

Content provided by: International Cannabis Business Conference The International Cannabis Business Conference is the leading cannabis business to business (B2B) event series on the planet, with previous conferences taking place in several countries on multiple continents. The event series is owned and operated by passionate cannabis advocates who believe in celebrating cannabis

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Reflections on 2023 and beyond

By Dr Callie Seaman and Jamie Bartley, Cannabis Industry Council Co-Chairs As we gather together to celebrate the warmth of the holiday season, we extend our heartfelt greetings to each and every one of you. It’s been a strong year for our Council, marked by notable achievements and positive strides

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How interlighting increases yield in cannabis

By Dr. Céline Nicole-de Groot of CIC member Philips Additional intercanopy lighting allows more light to penetrate to lower parts of the plant, resulting in large, heavier flowers from top to bottom canopy with a significant upgrade of side flowers. The total yield and the value per m2 also increase

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EPrescribing Script Assist

Why e-prescribing is crucial

Ben Hamburger is CEO of CIC member Script Assist, a medical cannabis prescription platform enabling doctors and clinics to effortlessly prescribe. As the CEO of a digital medical cannabis prescription platform, I’d love to say that we knew the Government’s decision to allow electronic prescriptions for all Schedule II and

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GPs prescribing can improve public safety

This letter was originally published in the Telegraph The Government is inadvertently fuelling social harm across the UK as a result of its medical cannabis policies. This is because existing regulations are driving up to 1.8 million patients eligible for prescription cannabis into the £2 billion illicit market every year. The

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Sunil speaking in Parliament

Time for GPs to prescribe medical cannabis

By Dr Sunil Arora, CIC Co-Chair Prescription Working Group. Since the Government legalised medical cannabis in 2018, there have been around 1,000 patients annually receiving prescriptions on the NHS, and 20,000 private patients each year. All of these prescriptions are handled by specialist medical practitioners. However, this current model where

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MHRA clarification is a step in the right direction

By James Smith, Sunil Arora, Kirsty Morrison and Elisabetta Faenza. In recent years, it has been increasingly challenging for businesses to know what exact process they should follow to be allowed to develop a cannabis medicine. However, the MHRA has recently published an article, which clarifies the current process, entitled:

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Giving the Plant a Voice

By Dr. Gary Yates, Chair, CIC Plant Science Working Group You might say I’m something of a genetics generalist. After an undergrad degree in genetics and a PhD in molecular interactions (in plant, probiotics and pathogens), I decided to focus on photosynthesis and, eventually, cannabis. As it transpires, such a

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‘Known unknowns’ of medical cannabis

By Katya Kowalski, Head of Operations, Volteface Despite the legalisation of medical cannabis in 2018, prescribing practices have remained low and relatively contentious within the UK clinical population. In fact less than 1% of clinicians that can prescribe, currently do. There are a variety of reasons for why medical cannabis

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Using real world evidence in medical cannabis

By Mike Morgan-Giles, CEO, Cannabis Industry Council The challenges of developing extensive clinical trials for cannabis are well known within the industry, but perhaps less so among policy makers, regulators, and even doctors on the periphery. A range of factors contribute to this, including high start-up costs, complex and somewhat

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Running a sustainable cannabis business

By MedCan, CIC member If you haven’t heard of MedCan, we’re a producer of medical cannabis in South Africa. Our claim to fame is that we were the first South African company to be granted a licence to export high THC flower. More than commercial success though, we’re focused on

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Political posturing on cannabis must end

Mike Morgan-Giles, CEO, Cannabis Industry Council. The recently published opinion column in the Daily Mail by David Sidwick (‘Cannabis is now as dangerous as heroin and crack. A liberal approach is not progress – it’s madness’) is a scientifically and medically misguided piece of political posturing. Mr Sidwick’s position is

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Innovation funding in the cannabis sector

By Alex Thomson, Director of Operations, The Tax Credit Company Innovation requires investment, and businesses are not always aware of the financial assistance available in the form of Research & Development (R&D) tax relief, Capital Allowances and Grants. No matter where your organisation sits in the supply chain, from production,

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What’s Stopping Hemp From Cropping Up Everywhere?

CIC Executive Committee member Jamie Bartley leads the Unyte Group, which comprises seven distinct businesses, all inter-linked by Cannabis and Hemp, with expertise in everything from medical to capital to construction. Right now he’s pushing for further investment into the UK’s industrial hemp sector, as well as legislative change, to

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Anne Schlag

Meet Executive Committee Member, Dr Anne Schlag

Chartered Psychologist and Head of Research at Drug Science, Dr Anne Katrin Schlag, heads up the Cannabis Industry Council’s Research Working group. For 2022, the main focus of the Research Subgroup is to carry out a Health economic analysis, create condition-specific case studies, research into chemovar profiles in childhood epilepsy,

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Meet Executive Committee Member, Jamie Bartley

In 2019, Jamie Bartley founded the Unyte Group with two business partners; its divisions covering energy, waste, investment, cultivation and medical uses. Jamie now chairs the CIC’s Hemp Working Group. Jamie first discovered the wonders of the hemp plant while investigating its potential to assist brownfield remediation in construction. “I

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Meet CIC Vice Chair Elisabetta Faenza

Elisabetta Faenza is the Council’s Vice-Chair and Chair of the Standards Working Group. Elisabetta is also on the board of Medical Cannabis Industry Australia (MCIA), which acts as the voice for the country’s licensed medicinal cannabis sector. Through her work with the Standards Group, Elisabetta has identified three key areas

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