Cannabis - My Journey from Pharma Executive to Cannabis Entrepreneur by Dr Avtar Dhillon.

A guest post on my blog by Dr Avtar Dhillon

Canada has become a global leader of cannabis regulation and the first G7 country to legalize it for medical and recreational use. Legalization of cannabis in Canada, and slowly across the world, is a giant step toward realizing the full health potential of this versatile plant.

While this is a major accomplishment, there are lingering misconceptions and myths about cannabis, and people are still hesitant to enter the industry. As a life sciences executive and former family practitioner, I admit I had my reservations. I was soon bowled over by the research of a few brave scientists who took on the risks to conduct studies in a time when cannabis was still considered taboo.

By way of background, I'm a life sciences executive who came up through the ranks by first completing an honors bachelor of science degree in human physiology, and then went on to complete a medical degree. I started a medical clinic and subsequently practiced family medicine for over 12 years. I've always focused my career on how to best serve the needs of patients and embraced the use of natural remedies along with traditional medicine.

I also founded and developed a number of biotech companies, including OncoSec and Arch Therapeutics.

The last thing on my mind, of course, was cannabis. Like most non-cannabis users, it seemed far-fetched a few years ago that I would even consider embracing the cannabis industry to apply all of these assets that I've worked so hard to weave together.

Even though I had read about the use of cannabis for nausea in cancer patients and weight loss control in AIDS patients, I had never prescribed it as a practicing physician, nor did I know about its additional medical benefits. At the time, medical cannabis was starting to gain more notoriety in the media for its novelty, which piqued my curiosity.

After reading more literature on medical cannabis and speaking with researchers in the space, I couldn't stop myself from going deeper into the science and evidence, particularly for children with intractable seizures. Once I learned about its use in medical indications such as epilepsy, pain management, and multiple sclerosis, as well as its potential to reduce opiate use, I was hooked.

I couldn't believe how much potential existed.

While I plainly saw the vast amount of potential, I also realized that cannabis had been marginalized by stereotypes and legislation not founded on scientific evidence - it was all driven by power, politics, and prejudice. With my background as a scientist, clinician, and entrepreneur with operational experience in the healthcare industry, I decided to make the transition into cannabis.

For me, cannabis was the unexplored new frontier, and I saw it as an exciting opportunity to apply my skillset to help shape the industry.

What was also plainly clear was the tremendous need to apply the knowledge, tools, and processes of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries to this untapped plant. Scientists needed to validate what appeared to be huge numbers of anecdotal observations regarding the medical potential of cannabis with human studies. At the same time, we also needed to raise awareness of cannabis as a legitimate and potentially mainstream product for health.

Once I saw the opportunity, I immediately started looking for the right vehicle. As a first step, I brought together friends, family, and other high net worth investors with relevant backgrounds in biotechnology, finance, and even farming to fund a new private venture company, called Emerald Health Sciences.

I recognized that Canada was on the path to becoming the first G7 country to legally permit medical and adult-use (recreational) cannabis and in doing so, creating an opportunity for new research and clinical studies. We decided that our first foray into the cannabis world start in Canada.

In my analysis of various companies, I found a Canadian Licensed Producer, called T-Bird Pharma, of which we could acquire majority ownership. We renamed the company Emerald Health Therapeutics and hit the floor running.

Today, Emerald is a Health Canada Licensed Producer and emerging leader in the global cannabis industry. Our vision is to bring the same consistency, accuracy, and measured outcome of pharma products to cannabis. We are taking steps to develop clinically proven formulations and delivery methods that will result in a variety of delivery methods (pills, oils, etc.). Our aim is to develop and license intellectual property and facilitate value-added product manufacturing and sales worldwide.

What is equally exciting is that we have other global operations. Emerald Health Sciences owns a research group in Spain, called Vivacell, which is guided by two global leaders in cannabinoid research, Dr. Eduardo Munoz and Dr. Giovanni Appendino. We also have two U.S.-based biotechs that are working with synthetically produced cannabinoids for serious medical issues, including Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, MRSA, and glaucoma. Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals and Nemus Bioscience are developing novel and proprietary classes of product candidates that have a global patent footprint with a goal of enhanced chemical engineering, leading to more predictable bioavailability and pharmacokinetics for optimized efficacy and safety.

The future of cannabis is bright. We'll continue to see the space evolve in Canada and across the world. I'm excited to bring this industry out of the darkness and into the light, and it's only just the beginning.

Dr Avtar Dhillon. Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals.
Cannabis Investor's Report.