Is there a high chance of US and UK courts grappling with medicinal cannabis patents?
The US and UK patent offices have granted a number of patents relating to the therapeutic use of cannabis derived products. Paradoxically, both the US and UK governments currently define cannabis and cannabis-derived products as having no medicinal benefit. Recent developments suggest that both governments may soon soften the legal definition of cannabis. This Kat takes the opportunity to ask, in view of the US and UK governments current position that cannabis has no medicinal use, how strong are the patents claiming the very same? The legality of cannabis derived products is complicated by the broad spectrum of potential substances to which this term may refer. The cannabis plant contains at least 85 cannabinoids. The most prominent of these, cannabidiol (CBD), is non-psychoactive and has been associated with a number therapeutic effects. THC is the second most prevalent cannabidiol in cannabis, and is the primary psychoactive substance. Cannabis derived products contain varying amoun...