Product Earth, founded in 2015, is the UK’s largest hemp, CBD & Cannabis expo. Located at the National Agricultural Event Centre (NAEC) it attracts thousands of cannabis enthusiasts from around the world each year.
Whilst the recreational consumption of cannabis is still illegal in the UK, the uptake of CBD has seen the UK soar to be the second largest CBD market in the world, posing an interesting opportunity for investors looking to get in early as public opinion pivots to be 2/3 in favour of the decriminalisation of cannabis.
“The war on drugs is over” says Matt Clifton, CEO of Product Earth. “Millions of dollars have been wasted on the unfair & unnecessary incarceration of people, disproportionately impacting those that happen to not have white skin. This should be replaced with an approach towards decriminalisation based on science, health & human rights.”
“As the stigma surrounding cannabis erodes, it is becoming clear that the cannabis consumer cuts through all demographics. There is a rich diversity to the cannabis community and this is something that we celebrate at Product Earth. People that will be attending this year will get a real feel for how we are doubling down on aspects of the cannabis culture. Morning yoga, a skate park & glass blowing are just some of the experiences people can expect to see, as well as a series of seminars & fireside chats covering the important topics of medical cannabis and psychedelics, as well as opportunities to provide feedback on new products and services launching in the market this year. Product Earth has it all”.
When we think about cannabis in Europe, it is easy to pigeonhole the entire market to the red lights of Amsterdam and more recently Spain & specifically Barcelona. The reality is far more complex. As medical cannabis becomes more readily available across Europe, it brings with it new challenges. Prescriptions are prohibitively expensive, the quality of flower is often called into question from potency to certain pathogens, not to mention how and where patients can safely consume their medicine.
“There are some fantastic programmes out there to help improve the access to & efficacy of medical cannabis. Something that we are excited about this year at Product Earth is to have much more of a focus on legally prescribed medical cannabis and to draw more attention to these programmes. We will be including a medical cannabis zone this year that will be a physical manifestation of the end-to-end journey a medical cannabis patient will go through in order to successfully obtain their prescription. We will have safe consumption zones where legally prescribed patients will be able to consume their medicine out of the reach of toxic clouds of tobacco smoke and we hope to set an example for not only other events, but also places of business as to how they should be accommodating the needs of patients.”
“We feel a responsibility to address these important topics and do so with an unbiased and responsible approach. We are pro-cannabis, but that does not mean blind evangelism. That being said, Product Earth is a place to have some fun! We have now long realised that when people come to Product Earth, they are seeking out something a little different. You will notice that our entertainment lineup doesn’t look like a typical music festival. We are looking to tantalise all of your senses and the launch of our After Dark village will do exactly that. Mills Nutrients are bringing a roster of internationally-renowned acts that will reimagine the style of entertainment for events like ours and we couldn’t be more excited.”
Product Earth is happening on the 20-22 August and tickets are available at www.productearthexpo.com. The UK cannabis scene is exploding onto the global stage and it certainly appears that Product Earth is at the beating heart of it!
20 Questions with SKUNK: Natura