CiiTECH leads the way in the UK Medical Cannabis and CBD industry with continued investment in clinical research and sports development.

CIITECH is a Cannabis research company that has brought reliable and high quality CBD brands such as Provacan and IMPACT SPORTS CBD to the UK and beyond. Cannabis Health finds out more about the business, in conversation with founder Clifton Flack.

Tell us about the inception of the first CiiTECH brand.

Clifton: After a number of years building the global cannabis community in Israel, I saw a huge opportunity in my home country, the UK where an unregulated CBD industry had begun to explode. With many brands making unsubstantiated claims and mislabeling their products, I recognised the need for consumers to be protected – and the key to this is research.

We launched Provacan in 2017. It was important for our flagship brand to understand the UK consumer and build a brand with a trustworthy, simple and effective approach that would appeal to a broad demographic of people.

This is also the reason for our simple, medically branded packaging that is easy to understand. Provacan products are committed to quality and simplicity which is the way CBD was meant to be.

Provacan has formed a number of joint ventures to bring the best of CBD and science to the UK. It continually works with leading formulators and innovators to bring to market the most efficient and cost-effective products and has seen the formation of CiiTECH’s next two CBD brands IMPACT and HUGG.

After the success of Provacan why did you decide to launch IMPACT Sports CBD?
Clifton: While Provacan appeals to a much wider audience IMPACT has targeted formulations for athletes both professional and amatuer. We understand the importance of quality and pure products in this space, connecting with the needs of community and the importance of fitness on the mind and body.

Does IMPACT CBD focus on any specific sports?
Clifton: IMPACT works very closely with professional sports and sports players as well as the general fitness community to develop its pro-range of products. From the beginning we launched the brand with pro-rugby player Ben Franks who really understood the importance of good, quality CBD supplements in the sport.

IMPACT is proud to work with a range of inspirational people across a wide selection of sports through sponsorships of aspiring athletes to pro-sports and an ambassador program which has led to #buildingfitnesstogther.

IMPACT sponsors young and pro athletes, teams, and initiatives.

These include Fresh Ego FC, an amateur football club founded by ex professional footballer, Marvin Morgan. Fresh Ego FC raise’s awareness and funds to support mental health and grass roots projects to help both young and retired footballers tackle racism and mental wellbeing.

As well as Jordan Vucenic, a budding Featherweight MMA Fighter, and Sebastian Jimenez, a South American born surfer who has lived in Scotland for many years and is committed to promoting cold water surfing in Scotland and building the next generation of Scottish surfers.

Why athletes exercise caution when it comes to Sports CBD?
Clifton: Many CBD companies produce full-spectrum CBD oil which may contain very small trace amounts of THC which is prohibited in sports. WADA warns on their website that while “CBD is not prohibited; however, athletes should be aware that some CBD oils and tinctures extracted from cannabis plants, may also contain THC and other cannabinoids that could result in a positive test for a prohibited cannabinoid.”

Will IMPACT have a 0% THC CBD Oil?
Clifton: After several months IMPACT is proud to announce that yes we are at the final stages of launching our 0% THC formula that will allow all sports players including professional sports players to freely enjoy CBD without 0% THC.

Our new 0% THC IMPACT Pro CBD formula will also include a new, more precise application method as well as a few other surprises that will lead the product to be the new gold standard of CBD products available to the pro-sports world.

How are you preparing for the UK’s Food Standards Authority’s (FSA) Novel Food regulations coming into force at the end of March next year?
Clifton: The team has taken the necessary steps to ensure we are ready for the new regulations to take effect. We have been working closely with all industry stakeholders to ensure that all our brands adhere to the guidance set forth by the FSA and Novel foods.

Our products, including the new IMPACT pro range of 0% THC CBD oil comply 100 percent with the stringent EU and UK agricultural directives and we expect all our brands to be ready when the new regulations come into effect next year.

What impact do you think the introduction of the regulations will have on the industry?
Clifton: The new regulations will clean up the market, getting rid of any products that do not
comply with new regulations. This will make all CBD users more confident in what they are
buying with more clarity and precise labelling.

Who is CiiTECH?
Clifton: CiiTECH is a brand focused consumer-goods company that is currently operating in the field of non-psychoactive cannabinoid wellness products, in particular CBD. Our partnerships with renowned universities and leading scientists, especially those in Israel enable us to develop and bring to market breakthrough, science-led, cannabis products.

Why did you choose Israel to carry out this pioneering medical cannabis work?
Clifton: Israel has been at the forefront of cannabis research for over 50 years and this gold-
label institution has the richest history of cannabis breakthroughs and cannabinoid therapy
patents in the world.

While the rest of the world was preoccupied with prohibition and propaganda, Professor Raphael Mechoulam was busy unlocking the secrets of the cannabis plant at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. It was here that Professor Mechoulam elucidated the structure of CBD, and isolated THC in pure form for the first time.

The rich history of cannabis R&D in Israel ultimately led to one of our first collaborative efforts.

What does the future hold for CiiTECH?
Clifton: It is a very exciting time at CiiTECH as we continue to develop new patents,
formulations and brands that meet the growing needs of niche markets around the world.

Our global expansion tells us that we are doing something right and that our products are addressing a market that is lacking something that consumers want.

Although the landscape will likely look very different this time next year, with the
technology, research and expertise we have, CiiTECH is set to be at the forefront of this ever-changing industry.