New Center for Therapeutic Cannabis Research and Production to Open on the Isle of Man

According to recent reports from the United Kingdom, billionaire and Isle of Man native John Whittaker has announced plans to invest $136 million in building a large, innovative complex for the production and research of therapeutic cannabis in his homeland. The company Peel NRE, which will be responsible for constructing and managing the facility, has already begun surveying local residents about their attitudes toward having such an enterprise nearby.

“In fact, now is the best time ever to bring the Isle of Man onto the national and international market for therapeutic cannabis,” says Chris Eves, head of NRE. “Just recently, in June of last year, the Isle of Man authorities formally legalized the production of therapeutic cannabis, but so far, no one has taken advantage of this opportunity.”

It is worth noting that despite the formal implementation of the reform, local residents still face legal issues if they engage in personal cultivation of cannabis. In practice, people can still be prosecuted simply for possessing cannabis. Unfortunately, similar situations are also observed in another recently legalized part of the kingdom, the Channel Islands, where a similar reform was adopted at the beginning of last year.

Another potential center for cannabis reform in the country could soon be London, where the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, recently announced his interest in launching a pilot local decriminalization of cannabis in the coming months.

Currently, the project is only in the early stages of preparation. According to Mr. Eves, considering all the bureaucratic procedures and the need to coordinate with local residents, it is possible that construction of the proposed facility will not begin until the end of this year.