Industry | Medical cannabis |
---|---|
Founded | 2022 |
Headquarters | Nottingham, England |
Key people | CEO-Tim Kirby MD |
Website | releaf |
Releaf is a Nottingham, UK-based medical cannabis online clinic, [1] licensed to prescribe and dispense medical cannabis. [2] [3]
After UK legalisation of medical cannabis in November 2018, [4] Releaf Dispensary Ltd, founded by Mason Soiza, [5] was incorporated on 10 May 2022. [6] Buoyed by a £1.5m funding round in 2023, [1] Releaf developed a health technology platform to ease access to cannabis-based prescription medicines (CBPMs) for patients. [5] [7]
Releaf has conducted surveys [7] and organised campaigns to inform medical professionals [8] and to promote broader awareness among potential patients about the CBPMs space including through celebrity users, [9] [10] promotion of CBPM ID cards, [2] [3] and information about how CBPMs might be consumed. [11]
Releaf is a member of the UK's Cannabis Industry Council. [12]
Chloe Durrington was the first patient in the UK to be prescribed by Releaf with cannabis flower, [13] which was grown legally for commercial sale by Glass Pharms. [14]
Medical cannabis, medicinal cannabis or medical marijuana (MMJ), refers to cannabis products and cannabinoid molecules that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has a long history, but has not been as rigorously tested as other medicinal plants due to legal and governmental restrictions, resulting in limited clinical research to define the safety and efficacy of using cannabis to treat diseases.
Proposition 215, or the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, is a California law permitting the use of medical cannabis despite marijuana's lack of the normal Food and Drug Administration testing for safety and efficacy. It was enacted, on November 5, 1996, by means of the initiative process, and passed with 5,382,915 (55.6%) votes in favor and 4,301,960 (44.4%) against.
The United Kingdom Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 aimed to control the possession and supply of numerous listed drugs and drug-like substances as a controlled substance. The act allowed and regulated the use of some Controlled Drugs by various classes of persons acting in their professional capacity.
The use of cannabis in New Zealand is regulated by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, which makes unauthorised possession of any amount of cannabis a crime. Cannabis is the fourth-most widely used recreational drug in New Zealand, after caffeine, alcohol and tobacco, and the most widely used illicit drug. In 2001 a household survey revealed that 13.4% of New Zealanders aged 15–64 used cannabis. This ranked as the ninth-highest cannabis consumption level in the world.
Cannabis in the United Kingdom is illegal for recreational use and is classified as a Class B drug. In 2004, the United Kingdom made cannabis a Class C drug with less severe penalties, but it was moved back to Class B in 2009. Medical use of cannabis, when prescribed by a registered specialist doctor, was legalised in November 2018.
Cannabis in Oregon is legal for both medical and recreational use. In recent decades, the U.S. state of Oregon has had a number of legislative, legal and cultural events surrounding the use of cannabis. Oregon was the first state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of cannabis and authorize its use for medical purposes. An attempt to recriminalize the possession of small amounts of cannabis was turned down by Oregon voters in 1997.
Cannabis is a plant used in Australia for recreational, medicinal and industrial purposes. In 2022–23, 41% of Australians over the age of fourteen years had used cannabis in their lifetime and 11.5% had used cannabis in the last 12 months.
Cannabis in California has been legal for medical use since 1996, and for recreational use since late 2016. The state of California has been at the forefront of efforts to liberalize cannabis laws in the United States, beginning in 1972 with the nation's first ballot initiative attempting to legalize cannabis. Although it was unsuccessful, California would later become the first state to legalize medical cannabis through the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, which passed with 56% voter approval. In November 2016, California voters approved the Adult Use of Marijuana Act with 57% of the vote, which legalized the recreational use of cannabis.
MedMen Enterprises was a United States-based cannabis company. At its peak, it had operations in California, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts. MedMen owns and operates 29 retail stores and 6 cultivation facilities and is currently licensed to expand its footprint to 65 retail locations. Its stock began trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the ticker symbol MMEN in 2018. The CSE suspended trading of MedMen's stocks on January 8, 2024 pursuant to cease trade orders from the Ontario Securities Commission and British Columbia Securities Commission, and the stocks were delisted on May 16, 2024. MedMen was also traded over-the-counter in the United States under the ticker symbol MMNFF. MedMen is based in Culver City, California and has more than 1,000 employees.
Cannabis in Louisiana is legal only for medicinal use; recreational possession of 14 grams or less is decriminalized punishable by a fine of no more than $100. Medicinal use is allowed with a physician's written recommendation for any debilitating condition. Prior to statewide decriminalization, possession of small amounts of marijuana was first decriminalized in the cities of New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport.
Cannabis dispensaries in the United States or marijuana dispensaries are a type of cannabis retail outlet, local government-regulated physical location, typically inside a retail storefront or office building, in which a person can purchase cannabis and cannabis-related items for medical or recreational use.
Cannabis in Nevada became legal for recreational use on January 1, 2017, following the passage of Question 2 on the 2016 ballot with 54% of the vote. The first licensed sales of recreational cannabis began on July 1, 2017.
Cannabis in New Jersey is legal for both medical use and recreational use. An amendment to the state constitution legalizing cannabis became effective on January 1, 2021, and enabling legislation and related bills were signed into law by governor Phil Murphy on February 22, 2021.
Cannabis in Washington relates to a number of legislative, legal, and cultural events surrounding the use of cannabis. On December 6, 2012, Washington became the first U.S. state to legalize recreational use of marijuana and the first to allow recreational marijuana sales, alongside Colorado. The state had previously legalized medical marijuana in 1998. Under state law, cannabis is legal for medical purposes and for any purpose by adults over 21.
Cannabis in Argentina is regulated by the Penal Code of Argentina, which prohibits its possession, cultivation, and supply, except for authorized medical purposes. Official statistics estimate that cannabis is used by 7.8% of Argentina's population.
In Thailand, cannabis, known by the name Ganja has recently had new laws passed through. Cannabis that has less than 0.2% THC, referred to as industrial hemp in USA, was legalised on 9 June 2022. Medicinal cannabis, with no THC restrictions, was made legal in 2018 but required patients to obtain a prescription from a medical practitioner. Recreational cannabis is still illegal according to Thai law.
Cannabis in Ukraine is legal for medical, industrial purposes, and scientific and scientific-technical activities.
Cannabis in Saskatchewan became legal when the national Cannabis Act went into force on 17 October 2018.
Cannabis in Bermuda is legal for medical use and decriminalized for recreational use.
Mamedica is a London, UK-based medical cannabis clinic which was founded in 2021 and launched in 2022. It is one of four UK clinics licensed to prescribe and dispense medical cannabis.