Bringing together an expert international team to build a premium vertically integrated medicinal cannabis business to supply safe and reliable products to those who need it
The Cannim Story
Cannim’s story is one of purpose driven collaboration to help those suffering needlessly when medicinal cannabis can help; a passion to help Jamaica and to keep Australia at the forefront of medical advances; and the aspiration to be the Australasian leader of the global movement in the fastest growing industry worldwide.
Cannim’s genesis was the four Worton brothers in Jamaica and Australia who recognised the benefits of medicinal cannabis from personal memories that it provided pain relief in cancer (and also helped treat asthma attacks and anxiety with “ganja tea”!).
After research and meetings with people involved in cannabis cultivation, processing, hardware, cannabis testing labs, budding cannabis venture capitalists, doctors and universities in geographies ranging from Jamaica to California, Oregon and Massachusetts as well as Australia, a plan to enter the market evolved.
The plan was based on 3 issues identified:
- quality standards and product information were not widespread
- cultivation was traditionally an “art” rather than a consistent approach
- production was fragmented with unpredictable supply
Based on prior experience with raising capital and listing businesses in the USA and Australia, the bold plan initiated was to create a business with a scale that could significantly impact the global industry.
Jamaica Red Moon was incorporated in Jamaica in January 2017 with Cannim Group incorporated in Australia afterwards.
One of the first decisions was to acquire a farm of 500 acres in Jamaica.
However, with the brothers recognising their limitations, the very first decision was to identify and recruit an expert team.
This is Cannim’s main asset: a committed, diverse team with a demonstrable track record of success in their fields. The team includes world renown thought leaders and pioneers from Israel effectively transplanting Israel’s global market leadership in medicinal cannabis to Cannim’s Jamaican operations. Other expertise ranges from managing farms over 1,000s of acres, “big-pharma” and drug development; legal and M&A, regulatory compliance, logistics and security; through to capital markets and entrepreneurial acumen.
Cannabis culture runs deep in the soul of Jamaica. Not just in the popular image of Bob Marley and reggae music or even as a spiritual sacrament by Rastafarians and their association with “ganja”. Cannabis has been an integral part of traditional Jamaican remedies with an infusion of cannabis in white over-proof rum a staple component of every grandmothers’ medicine cabinet.
Less well known is that the first approved pharmaceutical drug developed from cannabis was in Jamaica in 1983 called Canasol for the treatment of Glaucoma, with Asthmasol launched for the treatment of Asthma in 1990.
Importantly, widespread use of cannabis in Jamaica means it is a beacon to researchers who want to study its effects.
Australia’s cannabis legislation was slower to develop than in Jamaica so Cannim’s priority was on securing licenses, initiating cultivation and generating revenue from Jamaica.
Cannim is now acquiring an Australian farm and licenses to replicate its initial Jamaican operations and to leverage the global talent and capital it has attracted. Underpinned by research, Australian operations will focus on the emerging Australian and Asian markets.
Bold visions cannot be achieved alone and Cannim attracted talent and formed alliances to cooperate internationally on systems, strains and know-how developed over combined decades of anecdotal and regulated use of medicinal cannabis.
From our strategic beach-heads in Israel, Jamaica, Australia, the UK and Europe, we are extending our relationships to the China, Asia, Africa and the Americas.
With significant offtake agreements already established, our common purpose of delivering medicinal cannabis as part of cannabis’ movement from the shadow into the light© is being achieved.
From Gene to Medi-scene©
Circular Integration©
Cannim’s focus is on medicinal and health cannabis. We term this medi-scene© to distinguish it from pharmaceutical medicine. Medi-scene© draws together traditional Indian and Chinese medicines which have used cannabis for thousands of years, modern Western medicine which is currently doing further research and development into cannabis, and more recent anecdotal treatments such as naturopathy and supplements. Medi-scene© includes health supplements, nutraceuticals, drinks and cosmeceuticals as well as capsules, extracts, balms, tinctures, vape oils, edibles and traditional dried or cured basic flowers and buds. These forms of ingestion or application have been defined as medicinal cannabis, as a separate category to pharmaceutical medicine, in the legislation of several countries where medicinal cannabis has been deregulated
Cannim's integrated operations ensures premium product standards from the gene to the medi-scene©.
Cannim is building on three values or principles which we believe are necessary to be successful in the medicinal cannabis arena: safety, science and scale. Cannim’s licenses range from cultivation to research and development and processing, in keeping with its plans for an integrated business “from gene to medi-scene”. This is illustrated below, centred around testing (for safety), translational research to support cannabis treatment (science) and driving for the scale necessary for reliable, consistent, medicinal quality output.
To maintain our premium standard, Cannim keeps safety, science and scale at its core.
Safety
As a health and medicinal product it is essential to ensure consistency and quality from the cannabis strain to manufacturing and distribution. Cannim’s research, control and processes employ Israeli medicinal quality standards Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) as required for the emerging Australian and European markets.
Cannim has also secured access to leading medicinal cannabis plant genetics and established a genetics-breeding program to develop new strains. This provides the flexibility to create extracts of plants and different genetics for full spectrum combinations of cannabinoids, flavonoids and other pharmacologically active compounds for products tailored to specific ailments and health benefits. Our clonal propagation and fertigation ensures our quality is consistently reproducible. This consistency in the cannabinoid profile of the individual plants is of fundamental importance to maintain the active ingredients. Cannim’s medicinal cannabis products will have varying percentages of CBD, THC and other cannabinoids allowing:
- Different formulations for different applications
- Control to optimise or vary the compound balance as required (or requested by clinical trials)
- The ability to provide consistent and standard doses as required by different government regulations or medicinal cannabis users in varying jurisdictions
Science
Change from a ‘prohibited substance’ to a ‘controlled substance’ has allowed increased research, funding and clinical studies in medicinal cannabis across a wide range of applications. Cannim is partnering with universities, doctors and research institutes to stay at the forefront in medicinal cannabis developments.
Our research, farming and processing systems are underpinned by an executive team and advisory board who are experts in their relevant fields. We have designed systems and processes to GMP standards. We will rigorously test and manage to ensure best practices and regulatory requirements are met.
The active chemical compounds (cannabinoids) in cannabis are used as a natural therapy to treat ailments or alleviate symptoms. Reported numbers vary but there are at least 70 cannabinoid compounds identified in cannabis. Two main cannabinoids account for more than 50% of known therapeutic applications, these are: Psychoactive Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC); and non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD).
Cannabinoids have been found to interact with cannabinoid receptors throughout the body in a system called the endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system regulates a broad range of biological functions with the goal of maintaining a stable environment or homeostasis within the body. Cannabinoids from cannabis can be used to supplement deficiencies in the body, stimulating and supporting the endocannabinoid system to provide relief and return balance. These interactions relieve a number of conditions including pain, inflammation, and anxiety.
Increasing numbers of countries have deregulated or legalised the use of cannabis in response to these discoveries.
Scale
Cannim's initial license in Jamaica is 500 acres with excellent growing conditions. Other licenses and prime growing locations are being secured in Australia. With the recognition that one company cannot do everything, Cannim has developed strategic alliances with licensed operations and distribution channels to access specific expertise and accelerate growth. Currently, the Cannim team and their partnerships are operating in Jamaica, Australia, Europe, the UK, USA and Israel.
Growing and distributing at scale is crucial to the Cannim strategy. Being able to produce large quantities of premium medicinal cannabis allows greater reliability for meeting patient supply requirements. Scale benefits also means we can compete effectively and ensure affordability for the average consumer, especially when prices fall on cannabis production commodities. Producing large quantities of controlled raw plant material gives Cannim the ability to produce consistent products in order to meet the pharmaceutical and medical requirements.
By utilising global partnerships, Cannim has optimised its market opportunity while retaining flexibility to cater for shifts in national and international attitudes towards medicinal cannabis. Our vertically integrated business model also provides a barrier to competitors affording Cannim security compared to simple farms which may not remain competitive as markets become more complex.