“I had no interest in cannabis, but the story needed to be told to others like me”

We're delighted to kick off a brand new season of the What's Your Why podcast, with a brand new sponsor, Botanical Pharmacy, and a line-up of amazing guests ready to share why medical cannabis matters to them.

Our first guest is Ricardo Geada, director of Lawrence Stephens Solicitors in the UK, heading up its Regulatory Solutions department.

Ricardo is an English Lawyer (who is also fluent in Portuguese), with 17-years legal experience and now a renowned legal expert in cannabis regulation.

He has assisted Medicinal Cannabis and CBD Wellness companies through regulation mazes across the UK, EU, US and Asia, on aspects of unlicensed medicines; vaping products (e-cigarettes and e-liquids); cosmetics; and food supplements.

His expertise in this space means is regularly invited to speak at events to discuss the ever growing global cannabis market, and he currently sits on the executive committee of the UK's Cannabis Industry Council.

In this episode, Ricardo chats to Hannah and Mike about how he came to specialise in cannabis law (despite his lack of personal experience!), improving patient access and the importance of trying to change the narrative through education.

He also shares his insights on differing regulations across Europe, including the recent German law change, the Swiss adult-use trials and France's medical cannabis pilot.

"I'm constantly looking at different countries and what they are doing with the laws around cannabis… but you have to also look at that country's culture and what they are likely to do. If the UK had more indoor grow facilities, I think we would be a big exporter… [and] there would be tax benefits.

"Everyone's complaining about still paying for Covid and Brexit, well here's an opportunity to pay for some of that, so let's get on and do it."

Listen to Hannah and Mike's full interview with Ricardo below or via your usual podcast app.

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