Always Pure Organics helps improve access to CBD in Japan

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Leading UK-based CBD producer Always Pure Organics, has been helping children with intractable epilepsy to access therapeutic doses of CBD since 2020. 

Always Pure Organics (APO) has built a reputation for quality and reliability in the Japanese CBD market since it started trading in the region in 2019. APO has a rich history of operating in the Japanese market and is one of the most trusted manufacturing partners in the country.

In September 2021, it established a foothold on the island with the creation of its Always Pure Organics Japan base. The development of Always Pure Organics Japan enables the company to manufacture on the island, import raw materials quicker, and register products faster.

Since June 2020, Always Pure Organics has been engaged with Green Zone Japan in joint observational studies called ‘Midori-no-wa (Green Circle)’ for children with intractable epilepsy, providing cost-effective CBD products including their THC-free Distillate.

Green Zone Japan is a Japanese medical cannabis advocacy group focusing on bringing evidence-based, accurate and up-to-date information on medical cannabis to medical professionals and the public. 

Green Zone Japan was established by Dr Yuji Masataka, MD and Naoko Miki in 2017. The project is aimed at providing medical professionals and the general public with evidence-based, accurate information about cannabis-based medicines including CBD. The programme, Midori-no-wa, was introduced to help children who are diagnosed with intractable epilepsy and provide support for their families. 

The project has seen a lot of progression within the past few years with participant numbers increasing. They include a wide range of ages including adults up to 28-years-old.

Japanese consumers have become more interested in CBD in recent years as the pandemic has inspired a holistic approach to health across the globe. Products such as gummies, tinctures and oils have grown in popularity. They are seen as a natural way to self-soothe or potentially help with symptoms associated with anxiety, depression, pain or sleep. 

Harriet Brown, chief marketing officer at Always Pure Organics, explains how difficult access to therapeutic doses of CBD can be in Japan. 

“One of the challenges encountered in the Japanese market is that, due to the legal landscape of cannabis in Japan, sourcing and importing the product at high enough doses to be therapeutically effective was generally cost-prohibitive for participants,” she says.

“In order to achieve high enough dosage, the cost was inhibiting at £40 or more a day, meaning it was not readily accessible to most suitable candidates and their families.”

Dr Yuji Masataka, MD and Naoko Miki had been advocating for the use of CBD as they wanted to help people, especially those with intractable epilepsy. The parents had begun to reach out asking for help as CBD cost so much money.

Miki said “It is impossible to ignore the overwhelming volume of cannabis information that floods in via the internet. The need for legal reform is obvious if Japanese people are to enjoy the many gifts the cannabis plant offers. We need more than a small group of advocates, we need doctors to want to use it for their patients.”

She added: “This is why Green Zone Japan was founded by my colleague Yuji Masataka and myself, intending to bring the most up-to-date evidence-based information on medical cannabis to Japanese audiences, particularly medical professionals. Japanese people tend to see doctors’ words as indisputable authority; and if doctors disapprove of cannabis, there is little chance for patients to be able to experience what cannabis might do for them.

“As part of its education effort, Green Zone Japan is bringing California-based Project CBD to Japan by creating a Japanese mirror site. Project CBD, a non-profit organisation which has taken a leading role in making the world aware of the potential of CBD and medical cannabis, is a perfect resource to educate Japanese people about CBD within the larger context of medical cannabis.”

In a bid to help more patients with access, Dr Masataka reached out to Always Pure Organics. The parents of a six-month-old child who had been diagnosed with intractable epilepsy had contacted Dr Masataka after viewing his YouTube film. Surgery for the little boy was not an option, nor was the existing treatment working for him. The parents were desperate to access alternative therapies or treatments and they were open to the idea of cannabis-based products.

Following his participation in the project, the little boy’s seizures were eliminated.

Gavin Ogilvie, CEO of Always Pure Organics explains: “Always Pure Organics supports by providing paediatric patients access to therapeutic level doses of CBD products at well below the market rate, whilst supporting the research and recording of the effects. We do this with the understanding and consent of the patients’ primary doctors so as not to disturb their treatment regimen or to cause adverse drug interactions.”

There have been several success stories with the project. More than 50 per cent of the current participants reported improvements, with 10 per cent experiencing significant effects. One of the patients, a two-year-old girl with West Syndrome, underwent brain surgery. Unfortunately, her seizures continued post-surgery. The parents reported that since participating in the project and using CBD, she is now seizure-free. 

Following these success stories, the team at Green Zone Project and Always Pure Organics were determined to help even more children benefit from CBD. 

Intending increase the potential support scope of the project, the Midoria no-wa, Green Zone project has created PCAT (Patients of Cannabinoid Therapy). It is an extension of the project that will allow the parents to become ambassadors. It will support them in lobbying the voices of the patients and it echoes similar projects that have been successful in the US in changing CBD legislation.

Brown said: “Dr Masataka and Miki have now launched PCAT  – an extension of the initial project – which is a forum where families and participants can access peer-support, as well as advocate and work towards positively impacting the perception of cannabis and CBD, supporting political reform for CBD in Japan. 

 “Always Pure Organics’ Regional Director, Asia, Chikako Yoshida, talks about her drive to get Always Pure Organics involved in spearheading this project: “I feel it’s my life mission to support kids and their families who fight against illness /sickness by providing them with Cannabis products. I wish I could have done the same to help my youngest brother who passed away 25 years ago from leukemia.”

The next phase of the project will involve widening the scope of disease and embracing a more diverse and larger range of participants.

The development of PCAT will also offer further support to families who are involved in the project. It will help to contribute towards influencing policies and bringing a greater education around cannabis to those in need in Japan.

To find out more visit www.alwayspureorganics.com or www.pcat-japan.com