Cannabis Giant Reveals UK’s Illegal Online Sales Have Grown 50% Over 2 Years, Urges Government To Act
Curaleaf International, a subsidiary of US cannabis giant Curaleaf Holdings (OTCQX:CURLF), is urging the British government to take immediate action against the rapidly growing online illicit cannabis market, which is allowing street cannabis to be sold from unregulated websites and platforms. The company’s latest report reveals that illicit online cannabis sales have grown 50% over the last two years and increased by 67% across open web retailers.
“The findings in this new report echo our concerns across the globe, and highlight serious risks to patients in the UK,” stated Boris Jordan, chairman and CEO of Curaleaf. “Similar testing done previously in the US found contaminated products in illegal dispensaries, and this is an issue that weighs on all of us in the industry. Without controlled and legal access to tested, regulated cannabis, patients and consumers are left vulnerable to extreme health risks. Lawmakers around the world must act now to enforce laws against the illicit market and widen access to legal, regulated cannabis products.”
Curaleaf’s report, developed in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University, also found that illegal cannabis is often contaminated with dangerous substances such as mould, lead and synthetic cannabinoids, posing severe health risks to the 1.8 million people in the UK who use the product to self-treat …