Medicinal cannabis gaining interest

“I’d say it’s making more and more sense by the day – the UK economy’s going to need a serious boost to recover from this pandemic,” says Xan Morgan, CEO of Equinox, who is speaking at the Agri-TechE event “Farmer to Pharma”.   
Xan helped to produce an academic opinion paper focuses on the benefits of smart regulation of the Cannabis sativa crop – described by those who cultivate it as a ‘wonder crop’. When grown for its fibres and biomass the plant is known as hemp, whilst when grown for its pharmaceutical compounds, it is more generally referred to as cannabis.¹
“There’s nothing holding us back in terms of climate or soil,” Xan explains.

Great potential for medicinal cannabis

“Science is just starting to get a grip on the endocannabinoid system and its role in the body… but you can visually see that this stops an MS sufferer having shakes, stops a child having seizures…” Xan explains.
The pioneering cannabinoid research and innovation ongoing at OXON Medical, one of the Equinox brands,  is a source of great pride for Xan.
Although the UK can grow Cannabis sativa very well, Equinox, which is a vertically integrated British cannabis company, currently works with partners growing medicinal and pharmaceutical cannabis overseas, despite having a licence to grow high-THC cannabis in the UK. These licenses, only a handful of which are available, permit growers to harvest leaves, buds or flowers from their crop.

Strategic partnerships

Having created medical cannabis brand OXON, under the Equinox banner, Xan is now in the process of establishing strategic partnerships in order to support rapid growth and the next stage of development.

• The OXON brand is designed to serve the emerging and fast growing medical cannabis market. The name is an abbreviation of Oxford, a city that Equinox has strong ties with;
• The brand is supported by Oxford Antibiotic Group, driving their innovation and IP, following the completion of a 24-month project to develop Equinox’s proprietary THC and CBD cannabinoid formulations for producing EU-approved medical products to target common diseases;
• Oxford Antibiotic Group is a leading drug discovery and development company that combines Austrian expertise with Oxford’s excellence in Chemistry and Life Sciences.

Opportunities for medicinal cannabis to be discussed

The endocannabinoid system is a fundamental component of the human central nervous system, with a role in pain and inflammation³ but also in appetite, motor control, sleep and many other functions⁴. It is by stimulation of this natural system, that plant-derived cannabinoids are able to achieve their diverse range of medical properties.
At the upcoming Agri-TechE event participants will discuss the diverse topics associated with Cannabis sativa. and how to move forward with the cultivation of hemp and cannabis production in the UK over the coming years. ¹ M Jelsma, S Kay and DR Bewley-Taylor. 2019. Fair(er) Trade Options for the Cannabis Market. Published by Cannabis Innovate and Swansea University. ISSN 2054-1910.
² TP Freeman, C Hindocha, SF Green, MAP Bloomfield. 2019. Medicinal use of cannabis based products and cannabinoids. BMJ; 365; 1141. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l1141
³ G Donvito, SR Nass, JL Wilkerson, ZA Curry, LD Schurman, SG Kinsey, AH Lichtman. The endogenous cannabinoid system: A budding source of targets for treating inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2017;43:52–79. doi: 10.1038/npp.2017.204
⁴ S Zou and U Kumar. 2018. Cannabinoid Receptors and the Endocannabinoid System: Signaling and Function in the Central Nervous System. Int J Mol Sci. 19(3): 833.
⁵ M Jelsma, DR Bewley-Taylor, T Blickman. 2014. The Rise and Decline of Cannabis Prohibition – The History of Cannabis in the UN Drug Control System and Options For Reform. TNI/Global Drugs Policy Observatory.