“
It’s evident that a
significant part of the
market favours edibles
“
VAPOUROUND CBD MAGAZINE
According to research by the Brightfield Group, the US
hemp-derived CBD market almost doubled in size between
2017 and 2018. The group estimates that by 2022, the
domestic CBD market will be worth $22 billion.
From e-liquids and tinctures to cosmetics and pet food, the
once-humble cannabinoid has spanned new territories,
reaching a broader demographic and helping change the
public perception of cannabis and its associated products
like hemp and CBD.
But at the same time as medical cannabis was paving the
way for CBD in the US, the UK government was adopting an
altogether more punitive policy.
In 2009, then-Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced that
the reclassification of cannabis from Class B to Class C would
be reversed. The decision went against the advice of the
Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD).
A report by the group found a, “probable, but weak, causal
link between psychotic illness, including schizophrenia, and
cannabis use”.
At the time, Ms Smith said:
“There is a compelling case for us to act now rather than risk
the future health of young people. Where there is a clear
and serious problem, but doubt about the harm that will be
caused, we must err on the side of caution and protect the
public. I make no apology for that – I am not prepared to
‘wait and see’.”
Concerning stories about high-THC ‘skunk’ became a tabloid
staple and the issue remains hotly-debated today. While some
studies have found a causal link between THC consumption
and schizophrenia, others have suggested that people prone
to schizophrenia are simply more likely to use cannabis.
For a long time, the demonization of cannabis seemed to
be an unsurmountable barrier to reform in the UK. And yet
behind the scenes, the very same people who were rallying
against cannabis were making huge sums of money from its
prohibition.
In 1998, the government granted GW Pharmaceuticals a
license to grow cannabis for use in medical trials.
GW launched THC and CBD spray Sativex in 2010. Eight
years later, their epilepsy drug Epidiolex became the first
FDA-approved CBD medicine. Britain is now also the largest
producer and exporter of legal cannabis in the world.
In 2018, cannabis reform advocates revealed that the husbands
of prime minister Theresa May and Home Office drugs
minister Victoria Atkins had very close links to GW.
CLEAR president Peter Reynolds said in an interview with the
BBC:
“The reason she [Atkins] was appointed is Theresa May was
looking for someone who was a hard-line prohibitionist. The
Tory party’s policy on drugs - cannabis in particular - is directly
opposed to the evidence, and Victoria Atkins is someone
who supports that.
“But, what is appalling is she doesn’t just want to support
it for policy reasons, quite evidently, she wants to support it
because her husband and family are directly benefiting from
[the regulation of] it.”
The surge in interest in CBD moved in tandem with the push
for medical cannabis legalisation, as more and more Britons
sought to find out if the wellness product de jour could help
them.
Holland and Barrett’s CBD products flew off the shelves.
Vape shops expanded their CBD ranges to include edibles,
tinctures, lotions and balms. CBD cafés cropped up offering
CBD-infused coffee, chocolate and croissants.
In the past few months alone, the cannabinoid has emerged
as a socialite, featuring in GQ, The Daily Mirror, The Daily
Mail, Cosmopolitan, The Evening Standard, Men’s Fitness,
Glamour and Vogue, among many others.
The challenge for UK advocates now will be to ensure that
changing attitudes towards CBD and medical cannabis are a
catalyst for wider reform.
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