Hassans Establishes A Working Group On Medical Cannabis
Hassans International Law Firm has today announced the formal establishment of a Working Group on Medicinal Cannabis, coinciding with the formal announcement by Gibraltar’s Minister for Public Health, the Hon Dr John Cortes, of the imminent publication of a Bill for an Act to make provision for the regulation of the production, import, export, marketing and supply of cannabis for medicinal purposes and for connected purposes. The Working Group consists of Peter Montegriffo QC, Richard Buttigieg, Gemma Vasquez, Ian Felice, Aaron Payas and Andrew Montegriffo.
A statement from Hassans follows below:
The Minister explained, during his Budget 2021 address, that “Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar is supporting the efforts of the private sector to establish the appropriate legal and regulatory architecture in order to create a robustly regulated medicinal cannabis industry. This regime will be fully compliant with the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961, as amended. Subject to final discussions with Her Majesty’s Government in the UK, we very much expect to be in a position to publish the Command Paper soonest and certainly during the course of this year.”
The Hassans team making up the membership of the Working Group, have been very closely involved with private industry players seeking to develop this sector and with the drafting of the Bill. It is anticipated that it will be strict HMGoG policy that this industry will be comprehensively regulated to the highest standards. Only the most reputable businesses will be able to be licensed under the Medicinal Cannabis Act, with such operators being required to conduct their affairs fully in accordance with the proposed new statutory licensing regime.
Medicinal cannabis business is continuing to expand globally, with most reputable jurisdictions supportive of these initiatives. The Medicinal Cannabis Act will enable Gibraltar to seek new opportunities for economic growth and assist the private industry by establishing the relevant statutory and regulatory legal framework.
Speaking on the formal establishment of Hassans Working Group on Medicinal Cannabis, Peter Montegriffo QC said: “The establishment of this working group is a natural next step for this firm to take. It follows the role we have developed in working with and advising a variety of prospective medicinal cannabis licensees. The publication of the Bill will add to the potential of Gibraltar’s ambitions in this area. As with gaming/gambling and cryptocurrency, we specialise in innovating and leading in the development of new businesses. We look forward to delivering solutions that work for our clients and for Gibraltar too.”
The Working Group will continue to update clients and prospects with developments in the field through Hassans’ social media channels.
