Michael Joe Cini
4th November 2019
Malta Medical Cannabiz Summit draws 1500
First day sees strong line up of speakers take to the stage
As the first day of the Malta Medical Cannabiz Summit draws to a close we take a look at some of the best stand out moments of the show.
A strong line-up of speakers kept the conference rooms busy throughout the day, with the workshops on Emerging Medical Cannabis workshops garnering healthy interest from international delegates.
On the home front The Hon. Deo Debattista, MP for Malta, highlighted the importance of communication and cooperation, saying that ‘the quality of medical cannabis preparations’ is of ‘primary concern’ and that ‘advances in chemistry and tech as well as in-depth study of endocannabinoid systems are mitigating some of the challenges in the field, including standardisation concerns.’
He also added a note of reassurance that the ‘regulation of cannabis for medicinal and research purposes in Malta follows a route comparable to that implemented for the pharmaceutical industry and controlled medicines.’
A keynote from Marion Zammit from Malta Enterprise also echoed the MP’s assurances that ’the process for obtaining a licence has been kept clear and transparent and the evaluation process is rigorous and scrutinous.
Another highlight was an inspiring talk from CEO of CannaKids, Tracy Ryan, as she says in her interview in Cannabiz Magazine, the pursuit of medical cannabis as a treatment for her daughter has played a huge role in what she calls a miracle story, saying: “The doctors said we cannot explain what we are seeing, we would like to give the credit to medical cannabis.”
There was also insight into the roadblocks facing the industry from Professor of Psychology at the University of Malta, Giuseppe di Giovanni, “We are living in a schizophrenic situation where the industry in medical cannabis is going very fast, while in Europe, research in cannabinoids has really been slowed down by stigma.”
Despite a series of great pitches, CMTREX stood out as a clear winner, taking home the trophy as winners of the Medical Cannabiz Startup Pitch.
“Everyone is talking about cannabis regulation, but what will the industry look like post regulation? One thing is clear – the big whales will enter and dominate”, said winner Saul Singer – Founder & CEO of CMTREX.
Guests will now head down to Tapaz to unwind over some relaxed networking drinks before heading out to a number of SiGMA Group’s legendary VIP dinners.
Catch up with us tomorrow for day two of Malta Week, more live footage and great coverage to follow.