A British Island Territory Plans to License Medical Cannabis to Expand Economy and Boost Population Growth
As part of a plan to double its GDP and create more job opportunities, the Isle of Man is looking to grow and export cannabis products for medical use.
Near Ireland and the United Kingdom (UK), where cannabis is illegal except for medical purposes, the Isle of Man is home to 84,000 citizens and an economy driven mostly by the insurance sector (1,2). Now, as part of a plan to diversify its economy, grow its population by 100,000 over the next 15 years, and create 5,000 more jobs, the island hopes to license up to 10 firms by the end of 2025 to grow and sell cannabis products for medical use (1).
“As a high-value, low-volume manufacturing business it fits well into what we need to do on the island. We need to make sure when things are exported they are high value,” said Tim Johnston, the Isle of Man’s minister for enterprise (1). “We recognize we’ve got an older population. We’re keen to see that change,” he also stated.
Competition for the Isle of Man includes several other UK producers that already have approval to sell medical cannabis oil and products, plus two other islands, Jersey and Guernsey, that have already legalized medical cannabis cultivation (1). All UK companies selling medical cannabis must meet strict requirements, and only specialist doctors can prescribe cannabis for medical uses (1).
Last year the first conditional license on the Isle of Man was issued to GrowLab Organics, a British cannabis company headquartered on the island (1,3). It has applied to build a growing facility and hopes to export 15 tons of cannabis per year from the island (1).
References
Ep 24, Part I: Data Transparency in Cannabis Testing with Yasha Khan
November 21st 2024Evan Friedmann interviews Yasha Khan, co-founder of MCR Labs, about his journey into the cannabis industry and his efforts to promote transparency and integrity in laboratory practices. Yasha discusses the origins of MCR Labs, which began in Massachusetts to meet the needs of the soon-to-be legal medical cannabis market. He explains the challenges faced, including result manipulation by labs and the impact on public health. Yasha's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) project aimed to gather testing data from 37 states, revealed significant discrepancies in potency and mold results. Despite some states' reluctance to share data, Yasha has made much of this data public, leading to collaborative research and publications on various aspects of cannabis testing.
Assessing Cannabis as a Harm Reduction Strategy: Insights from a Large-Scale Study
November 19th 2024A New Zealand study aimed to assess cannabis use as a harm reduction tool. Findings highlight lifestyle factors, and suggest cannabis-focused harm reduction strategies in reducing other substance use such as alcohol.
Ep 23, Part III: Accreditation in the Cannabis Industry with Susan Audino
October 24th 2024In Part III of this episode, host Evan Friedmann is joined by Susan Audino, PhD, founder of S.A. Audino & Associates, LLC, and co-founder of Saturn Scientific, LLC, to examine the complexities of sampling in the cannabis industry, emphasizing the need for proper sampling plans, and methods.
