UK-based advocacy organisation Volteface aims to promote evidence-based drug policy and reform in order to alleviate the individual and societal harms associated with drugs.
This is changing with incredible progress and growth but ultimately, this ‘coming of age’ for cannabis could have occurred much earlier were it not for the plant’s political history.
This lack of regulatory clarity makes it difficult to find a clear path to compliance for advancing the industry in the correct way.
By addressing this, we can expand the acceptance of cannabis in the medical sphere, allowing production to flourish and most importantly, patients accessing safe and consistent doses.
Volteface launched the New Leaf Opportunities campaign as a means of highlighting the economic benefits, innovations and investment opportunities that the medical cannabis and CBD sector bring to the UK.
We saw an opportunity to positively encourage the medical cannabis and CBD industry, highlighting how the sector has ‘come of age’ in the UK.
The campaign was launched in response to the Financial Conduct Authority giving the green light for cannabis companies to list on the London Stock Exchange in September 2020.
What makes the cannabis sector so interesting and complex is how interdisciplinary it is.
Volteface founded the European Cannabis Advocacy Network in late November 2020 as a means of harmonising and streamlining communication for European cannabis advocates.
The way in which European cannabis reform is currently playing out is similar to what we have seen in the US, with state-by-state progress.
Different sectors working together is a recipe for a diverse and ideal environment to secure policy change and consumer access.
The more diverse the cannabis sector can be, through bringing together various groups, the more likely it is that we will see positive developments.
As the industry develops, an important realisation is that cannabis products are not a ‘one size fits all’ phenomenon.
A major roadblock for cannabis currently is a lack of standardisation in dosing, making it incredibly difficult to regulate from a medical perspective.
Impressive consumer numbers in the UK show that the industry has been able to attract a larger and more varied consumer base.
Over the next few years it will be about grounding development to ensure the industry being created is a sustainable one.
There is no doubt that the cannabis industry is going to be a major source of income, tax revenue and widespread job creation for a variety of skillsets.
Innovation helps grow the prospects for reform by rebranding cannabis, this drives down the costs for patients and allows more people to access it.
In order to see more policy change, I think we will need to see a greater amount of pilot programmes to gather much needed evidence and ‘test the water’ for medical cannabis.
At the moment all of this is being dealt with through the Home Office, when the matter at hand is usually either agricultural or a medical issue.