Sativa Investments PLC (NEX:SATI) Chief Executive Officer Geremy Thomas caught up with DirectorsTalk for an exclusive Q&A to discuss the UK government’s decision to make medicinal cannabis available on prescription.
Q1: How important do you believe Home Secretary Sajid Javid’s announcement relating to the relaxation of medicinal cannabis to be?
A1: This is a significant milestone for the industry as patients can now access the product through an NHS prescription. It is about time that this globally recognised industry was accepted in the UK, so that medicinal cannabis is available to patients with a genuine need for it to treat their symptoms and pain.
Q2: What impact do you think it will have on the industry?
A2: It is very much the dawning of a new day for the industry, in which Sativa Investments was in at the start as the UK’s first listed investment vehicle for medicinal cannabis. This new regulatory environment means that Sativa can move forward even more quickly with its investment programme and also the Sativa Foundation, which funds academic research into medicinal cannabis and its benefits to the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors.
Q3: What do you think made the government change its tune on medicinal cannabis?
A3: As the Home Secretary stated, the recent cases of sick children meant this country had to act. It’s been too long now where people who have had debilitating symptoms and pain have not been able to access the medicine that treats them the most effectively. The UK can now move forward with developing products that meet patients’ pain and symptoms.
