BCL partner, John Binn's article on the legal and regulatory landscape of the UK cannabis industry has been published by City A.M.
A quote from the article*:
"Taking the domestic first, those who grow, sell or do research on cannabis in the UK itself need to register and obtain licences from a specialist Home Office unit, which is dealing at present with a very large number of applications and enquiries.
Businesses that expect an easy ride from the unit can become frustrated with its processes and mindset, which are – understandably, perhaps – particularly focused on the security aspects of what the law still considers a dangerous drug.
Unhelpful ambiguities also abound, a notable example being the status of cannabidiol products that contain negligible amounts of THC, cannabis' psychoactive component."
This article was originally published by City A.M on 26th June. Read the full article on their website.
John Binns is a partner at BCL specialising in all aspects of business crime, with a particular interest in confiscation, civil recovery and money laundering under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 ("POCA"). His business crime experience includes representing suspects, defendants and witnesses in cases invoking allegations of bribery and corruption, fraud (including carbon credits, carousel/MTIC, land-banking, Ponzi and pyramid scheme frauds), insider trading, market abuse, price-fixing, sanctions-busting, and tax evasion. He has coordinated and undertaken corporate investigations and defended in cases brought by BEIS, the FCA, HMRC, NCA, OFT, SFO and others.