Health Industries That Are Booming: Let’s Talk Cannabis

The medicinal cannabis industry is continuing to be a strong contender for traditional markets and asset classes, having a huge financial and ethical impact on health industries.

In 2019, cannabis sales grew 48% to $15 Billion in 2019 and is expected to reach $43 billion in 2024. [1] Despite the pandemic, it has exceeded all expectations. A key reason being it was deemed an essential service for users reliant on the alternative therapy and therefore dispensaries and clinics were allowed to stay open throughout lockdowns.

People associate regulated cannabis in two forms. Recreational & medicinal. Both of which are thriving, particularly in countries where the use of cannabis in varied forms is legal. Therefore the market has two kinds of target customers to attract.

 

So which health industries has it directly impacted?

 

Pharmaceutical giants

British company GW pharmaceuticals, plc, experienced rocketing sales from their FDA backed CBD drug, and was labelled as their ‘lead product’ in their financial results progress report. [2]

The product treats severe forms of epilepsy and generated $104 million in net sales in the fourth quarter and a total of $296 million in 2019. [3]

 

Universities

Imperial College London and research partner EMMAC will be expanding a cannabis research programme. Designed to inform and shape the future of medical cannabis therapies, the overall programme aims to investigate mechanisms of action of cannabis-based medicinal products related to several clinical applications. [4]

This will impact the clinical research and help propel the future of the medicinal cannabis industry and create further available treatments for patients. EMMAC are supporting the economy by funding the research staff at the university to explore the basic cannabinoid mechanisms in neuropathic pain and translate these to clinical trials. [4]
These trials are funded by the industry itself and investors are to expect a proportion of their funding to be allocated toward clinical trials to advance the knowledge and evidenced based data for cannabis.
Industry giants such as Canopy Growth, Curaleaf, Tilray, Cronos, and Charlotte’s Web have funded, or otherwise partnered on university research on a wide range of cannabis-related issues. [5]

 

Investors

British Medical Journal (BMJ) believe investors are key to increasing patients’ access to cannabis products, after attending the launch of medicinal cannabis fund, JPD Capital in early 2020 [6]

In 2019, according to Forbes venture capital investments into medicinal cannabis nearly doubled. “Big institutional investors are now buying into cannabis, and investors are taking notice,” said Hershel Gerson, CEO of ELLO Capital. [7]

Although this is solely a financial evaluation, these wise investments have an instrumental impact on the value chain, that begin at clinical research undertaken at universities that using this data go toward producing high quality, effective cannabis products and therapies to help treat patients.

In the long term, if more funding is allocated toward these causes there will be less pressure on healthcare providers around the globe to support those suffering with conditions such as epilepsy, arthritis, MS, Parkinson’s, chronic pain and much more.

 

Economic evaluation

The cannabis market in the UK could be worth anywhere between £1bn to £3.5bn and since the pandemic the UK’s current public debt has made history and exceeds 100% of its gross domestic product, according to the Office for National Statistics. The mounting crisis could force the Treasury to consider looking at alternative means by which to plug the £2tn hole in public finances.[8] This includes legalising regulated cannabis.

To learn more about an opportunity to invest into cannabis companies contributing to the growth of health industries, visit JPD Capital.

 

References:

  1. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200116005248/en/GlobGl-Cannabis-Sales-Grow-48-to-15-Billion-in-2019
  2. https://ir.gwpharm.com/news-releases/news-release-details/gw-pharmaceuticals-plc-reports-financial-results-and-2
  3. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/16/cbd-epilepsy-drug-does-incredible-296-million-in-sales-gw-pharma-ceo.html
  4. https://www.healtheuropa.eu/imperial-college-london-cannabis-research/93322/
  5. https://cannabiswire.com/2020/05/14/who-funds-cannabis-research-increasingly-its-the-industry-itself/
  6. https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m1063
  7. https://www.ft.com/content/e1e3a31e-8c83-11e9-a24d-b42f641eca37
  8. https://www.google.com/search?q=itv+cannabis+legal&oq=itv+cannabis+legal&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60.2037j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
About Lisa Baker, Editor, Wellbeing News 4214 Articles
Editor Lisa Baker is passionate about the benefits of a holistic approach to healing. Lisa is a qualified Vibrational Therapist and has qualifications in Auricular Therapy, Massage, Kinesiology, Crystal Healing, Seichem and is a Reiki Master.