Weekend digest: Six big stories from the cannabis world you might have missed

Another week, another rollercoaster in the fast-moving world of cannabis.

At Cannabis Health, our in depth coverage of the ongoing growth of cannabis as a medical and wellness product continues

Meanwhile, over at Cannabis Wealth, we’ve been following all the big industry and policy news in a week which has seen some important developments..

Been busy and want to get caught up in a hurry?

Here are the six things you need to read to stay in the loop this week.

Breakthrough for UK medical cannabis firm

Medical cannabis formulations have been found to be effective at killing cells commonly found in breast cancer, says a UK pharmaceutical company.

A combined treatment of medical cannabis and medicinal mushrooms has been found to be effective at killing HER2+ breast cancer cells, the cause of around 20 percent of all breast cancers.

A UK company has had a major trial breakthrough.

The cannabis formulations were developed by the Jamaican subsidiary of UK-based Apollon Formularies, with Canadian firm Aion Therapeutic Inc.

Full story here.

New patient evidence on medical cannabis effects

The first patients to be prescribed medical cannabis in the UK, report significant improvements in anxiety, pain and sleep.

The clinical outcomes of the first group of patients captured in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry have been published in the  leading medical journal Neuropsychopharmacology Reports.

These patients are amongst the first to be prescribed this treatment in the UK since legalisation of cannabis-based medical products on prescription in November 2018.

You can read more here.

Medical cannabis ‘needs more real world evidence’

Thousands of patients are using medical cannabis for conditions where there is ‘debatable’ clinical evidence – a new paper highlights why regulators must take real-world data into account.

A new study highlights the potential of cannabis to treat a broad range of conditions from chronic pain and intractable epilepsy, to mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.

But despite thousands of patients using cannabis for these conditions, the data around many of them remains “controversial”.

Read the full story here.

Inside one of the cannabis industry’s biggest deals

Curaleaf co-founder Boris Jordan has revealed why he decided to launch a huge expansion into Europe earlier this year.

European flags in front of the Berlaymont building, headquarters of the European commission in Brussels.

In March, the US cannabis giant – which operates in the medical and recreational sectors – made waves by buying EMMAC Life Sciences in a deal worth more than £200m.

You can read Jordan’s full insight into the landmark deal here.

UK Tory MP on need for Whitehall reform 

Pro-reform Conservative MP Dr Dan Poulter believes ‘we are winning the argument’ on access to medical cannabis.

The clinician and politician said he believes policymakers are listening but that the machinery of government is doomed to be slow-moving when it comes to change.

Appearing in a discussion alongside Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi and Drug Science founder Professor David Nutt, Poulter argued for Whitehall reform to speed up the process.

Read his full comments here.

More cannabis company join London market party

Okay, this is two stories but they’re part of one big trend shaping the cannabis industry in 2021.

Two more firm have announced they are to list on the London Stock Exchange, an increasingly popular way for businesses to raise cash – and their profile – that was unthinkable just 12 months ago.

This week its Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies and Hellenic Dynamics.

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