In this weeks podcast we are joined by Mike Cleary, the CEO of Sativite, a licensed Australian green-fields medicinal cannabis company to discuss about medicinal cannabis for pain management.

Key Points

00:43 – Mike Cleary is CEO of Sativite, a medicinal cannabis provider to Australia, New Zealand and all over the world. Mike believes that the immense success of  medicinal cannabis for pain management has proven that it is much more than a recreational drug.

2:29 – Mike was of the view that medicinal cannabis is slowly creeping its way into conventional medicine stream. He said that he has been a massive advocate for medicinal cannabis ever since it helped him to recover from nerve damage due to spinal fracture. He described that despite of its benefits, it was often viewed as an illegal therapeutic drug.

5:11 – Mike explained that he was hugely impressed by the lack of side effect of medicinal cannabis as compared to other pain relief medicines. However, he stressed that it would require at least 5 years of research to replace other medications. He was hopeful in medicinal cannabis for pain management.

7:05 – In response to a question, Mike delved into his motorcycle accident and his journey as a patient. The major issue was spinal damage and he had to undergo 27 major surgeries to recover. He depicted that during his long recovery period, the pain was always there.

9:22 – During his 10 years of recovery period, he was on a load of opioids prescription. He was unable to walk for more than 6 months. Afterwards, he remained confined in a wheelchair for around 1-2 years. Apart from massive support from family, it was medicinal cannabis that aided him a lot in physical and mental journey towards health.

12:12 – Mike narrated his own experience of medicinal cannabis. He iterated that the cannabis started having a positive impact on his chronic pain management within 3 weeks of its usage. Afterwards, he gradually reduced other pain medication within the next 2-3 months.

14:29 – Mike said that he used medicinal CBD in the form of a spray every time he felt pain and felt relief after 5 minutes.

15:39 – Mike stressed upon the immense significance of hemp and cannabis plants not only for the health of patients but also for avoiding soil degradation.

16:11 – Mike expressed huge passion for regenerative farming. He explained that he is a member of Strain soil planner, a group which specialized in improving the soil health and enhancing the nutritional value of crop. He clarified that another reason of getting into this business was the inadequate supply for medicinal cannabis which irked him a lot as a patient. He considers that more people should be in market supporting medicinal cannabis

18:58 – Mike described numerous scientific explorations going on in the field of medicine including medicinal cannabis. He spelled out that the bio viability of medicines was gradually increasing which would eventually make them cheaper. He praised the efforts of Canada in this regard.

20:42 – In response to a question, he provided detailed insights on product differentiation and delved into the huge scientific development, especially in the field of terpenes and oils. He was of the view that although radiation is used on medicinal cannabis to make it safe, however, terpene profile breaks down during this process. In order to avoid this huge disadvantage, radiation therapy could be replaced with nitrogen to make it more stable. He illustrated that the canning process, which had already started in Canada, was showing great results.

23:44 – Mike clarified that, contrary to popular belief, the stem of cannabis plant is normally used in making paper, food, and fiber.

24:08 – Mike was of the view that every part of cannabis plant could be used in numerous ways. He elucidated that currently, a lot of research is going on the cannabis root which has been used traditionally in a lot of medicinal teas for upset stomach and sore throat.

25:30 – Mike talked about R&D going on to pull certain beneficial chemicals and structures from cannabis roots to treat certain diseases. He said that since pharmaceutical guys were involved in this field, they would certainly strive to make it the next big thing.

27:04 – Mike declared that although all the strains of medicinal cannabis are great, patients must try a lot to see which strain suits them. He explained that now a days, even doctors were going through the detailed analysis of patient’s history with similar symptoms, full terpene profiles and THC breakdowns of medicine coupled with statistical analysis before prescribing them medicinal cannabis.

28:50 – Mike accepted that he used to take medicinal marijuana as a teenager. However, at that time, it did not do wonders for him. He was all praises for the immense benefits of medicinal cannabis in solving post-traumatic and insomnia-related issues. He urged the medicinal cannabis companies to work together for the sake of patients to improve their quality of life.

31:34 – Mike introduced a new medicine which is an interesting outcome of THC application. He made it clear that all medicinal cannabis companies have barely scratched the surface of applications of this beneficial plant. He explained that carbon absorption of hemp was one such application which could aid hugely in improving environmental conditions.

34:09 – Mike expounded upon the role of compounding chemists and exclaimed that there could be a lot of potential in coming up with numerous beneficial products.

36:06 – Mike is a big believer of bringing out more medicines as a medicinal company to take this industry forward. He described that Australia is a small market so many big stakeholders do not bother coming here, giving a chance to local companies to expand their business operations. He said that it was better to focus on inclusion of doctors for prescribing medicinal cannabis instead of dispensaries where many products with similar formula could be confusing for patients.

37:55 – While answering a question, Mike agreed that Australia remains a great market for plant-based medicines

39:08 – Mike encouraged other people to participate actively in the field of medicinal cannabis.

40:47 – Mike could see the recreational use of cannabis in Australia within 10 years. However, he believed that its improved access, financial subsidies, and inclusion on PBS must be a priority for industry.

Link

Sativite: https://sativite.com.au/

https://www.tga.gov.au/medicinal-cannabis