FEATURE
CANNABIS TRADES
ASSOCIATION
TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF
By Gordon Stribling
WORKING WITH ADACT MEDICAL
AND THE MHRA TO DRAFT THE
‘CANNABIS PRODUCTS DIRECTIVE’
The December issue of Vapouround Magazine featured an article
titled, ‘CBD E-liquid: Harnessing the Elephant in the Room.’
Cannabidiol (CBD) had long been a subject of intense debate,
both at Vapouround and in the wider vaping industry. The negative
connotations of cannabis and the complexity surrounding CBD
advertising legislation meant we had to tread very carefully. The
article went through several revisions before it went to press.
The crux of the issue is CBD’s medicinal status. CBD retailers
and manufacturers without the requisite medical licence are not
legally allowed to advertise the potential medicinal applications of
their products. It is up to the customer to do their own research
before purchasing CBD e-liquids, edibles, capsules and tinctures.
CBD has countless potential health benefits. It has been proven to
be particularly successful as an anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant
and anxiolytic, treating symptoms of epilepsy, multiple sclerosis,
anxiety and schizophrenia. Vaping has the fastest absorption rate
of all the CBD delivery systems, which helps explain the huge
growth of the CBD e-liquid market over the past year.
Mike Harlington is chair of the Cannabis Trades Association
UK (CTA UK). He is using his experience as a former licensed
cannabis grower and researcher for the Home Office to work
alongside the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory
Agency (MHRA) to draft voluntary CBD regulations. Thanks to
Mike and the CTA, the UK’s CBD industry has been allowed to
flourish and has now grown from around £10m per year to around
£30m. It is estimated there are 250,000 CBD users in the UK,
some of whom have shared their stories in the national press.
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“The MHRA recognises the CTA as a kind of ‘pseudo-regulator,”
Mike explains. “They just let us get on with it. Of course, there
is always going to be negative press when you have several
organisations vying for legalisation, but most people come to us
and see that we are a professional and passionate organisation,
and the founders and I are committed to ensuring the longevity
of the industry as a whole. We’re not a lobby organisation but a
trade body working for the interests of the industry and the safety
of the public.”
Health supplement retailer Holland & Barrett recently ran a
TV advert promoting their CBD oil products. They reported a
37% increase in sales over a four-week period. But while the
advert made no medicinal claims, the same could not be said
of some of their online marketing. The CTA received complaints
from members of the public and at the time of print was due to
meet with Holland & Barrett to discuss how they could meet the
requirements agreed by the CTA and MHRA.
The CTA maintains a database of certified companies. In order
for products to be certified, they must meet the CTA’s high
standards and be presented and marketed inline with the
voluntary regulations.
“CBD e-liquid is now under control of the MHRA and Department
of Health and Social Care (DHSC). As long as manufacturers
follow the spirit of the TPD, their products should be compliant.
We are working to provide a framework to ensure that products
are correctly described, tested and reported similar to TPD.”