With the approval classification of marijuana as a medicine in the recent historic 2nd December 2020 UN ruling, Cannabis has long since been a glimmer in the eye of financiers looking for their next big investment. Regulations and varying rules from country to country has made it difficult for private individuals to feel confidence in investing in marijuana. Whether for lifestyle product development like CBD-infused cocktails or CBD beauty products or for medical solutions and treatments, the benefits of marijuana and its extracts have been only lightly explored. Now the public and private companies have an incredible opportunity to make some serious cash and one British entrepreneur, Maximillian White, shares how he invested ahead of the game and is now leading the cannabis scene as one of the largest British operators of cannabis growth in Europe.
What motivated you to get into the medical CBD business?
MW: What motivated me to get into the medical cannabis business is a friend of mine approached me four years ago with a plan to invest into the cannabis industry. Four years ago, the UN had yet to announce that cannabis was a medicine and the rules and regulations for growing cannabis were much more stringent. The growth potential was there and, already, brands were slowly starting to incorporate CBD in their beauty and health products. My contact showed me examples of stocks in cannabis as well as the slowly growing trend of CBD in consumer products. I could see the potential. I already invested in properties as well as a beach club called Blanco Beach in the Algarve region of Portugal and had lots of contacts in real estate. I decided that the land around the Algarve would be a great growth area for cannabis as well as a good investment nonetheless as the Algarve was popular with British tourists but didn’t demand the high property and land prices of Spain.
There’s already CBD-oil infused cocktails, beauty products and even pet food. What trends do you see happening with CBD and how people will use it for their health?
MW: We have an agronomist as part of our cannabis company team who is keen on growing cannabis-infused truffles on our land. In the last couple years, the infusion of CBD in beauty brands and cocktails have jumped as a trend as more and more places are relaxing the laws on CBD extract being used for consumables. I believe CBD and Cannabis will be more and more used in liquid drops, food, medicines, and luxury goods. I watched a Vice video where 2Chainz was gifted a cannabis-infused gold leaf wrapped cigar that was worth over £40,000. Not only is cannabis becoming trendier in pop culture with celebrities, but more and more medical professionals are trialling cannabis and cannabinoids to combat or decrease the effects of depression, anxiety, diabetes, autism, ADHD, glaucoma, seizures, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and other health problems. I think there are so many more health benefits of Cannabis that haven’t even been discovered yet and hopefully we can be part of the process.
Will you be selling cannabis globally and what are the different requirements by country?
MW: Initially we will be selling the Europe. Each country and each state in America have different laws regarding the selling of Cannabis and these rules are changing all the time. We will adhere to strict guidelines and regulations and plan to eventually sell globally.
You are projected to be Britain’s 1st cannabis billionaire, how did this process come about?
MW: After I invested in the land and business concept, we hired a top financial advisory firm Deloitte to evaluate the investment and what the company will be worth. Based on the new UN ruling and projected growth from Deloitte, my company is modestly valued at over £3.5 Billion.
How did you secure pre-order contracts and investors? What was the process?
MW: My cannabis company has been a 4-year process and it is still in development stages. I hired an experienced team of professionals in the Cannabis industry as well as university academic experts in everything from cannabis, agriculture to biology. With any great company or great idea looking for investment or contracts, you need an experienced team to enforce the strength of the project. We have been liaising with top pharmaceutical companies and medical professionals to build our list of pre-orders. The benefit we have is the size of land we own as well as the level of bulk product we will be able to deliver from Europe. We are also working with experienced lawyers in this field so that we meet all the regulations pharmaceutical companies need.
Your company is developing its own strains of cannabis, what was thinking behind going down this route?
MW: Our team is mostly made up of researchers and scientists so health is at the forefront of our research. With the popularity of full body scans, 23andMe, DNA Fit, more and more people want bespoke solutions to their health concerns and problems. Medical technology is growing at a fast pace and we want to match that growth and be the forerunners of cannabis technology and how cannabis can help people live better lives.
The cannabis industry has exploded in both the USA and Canada; do you see a time on the horizon when Europe and the UK will follow suit? If so, when?
MW: The European and the UK’s cannabis industry is already following the USA and Canada. Although it hasn’t been as widely accepted as America, Cannabis is proving helpful in so many areas of health that the benefits cannot be ignored. For so long classified as a drug, now that Cannabis is classified as a medicine, there is a world of knowledge that we haven’t even unearthed yet.
Follow Maximillian White on his Instagram @ThatBoyYouHate
