Bedrocan present at first CECF Conference in Poland

On 22 and 23 October, Warsaw will see the first Central European Cannabis Forum Conference in Poland. Bedrocan will be presenting the company and the latest news on its clinical research. We spoke to the man behind this first time event, Andrew de Roy, to find out why he decided to organise this event in Poland and the goals he wants to achieve.

Andrew de Roy

Andrew de Roy has been a risk consultant and corporate investigation specialist. He has built over the past twelve years Bearstone Global, a risk consultancy with offices in Poland, Berlin and opening in London. Over this time they have increasingly been working in the space of medical cannabis as the industry has developed at such great speed over the past few years.

‘The industry is not only fast moving but obviously also controversial, as the industry goes from Black to White, most visibly in North America, but also in greater frequency in Europe. As the industry has developed, Poland is one of the more interesting countries in Europe in terms of progressive laws and numbers of registered patients. The industry requires the development of a more organised ecosystem and the ability to speak with one voice on issues which are key for the whole industry in general,’ De Roy explains.

‘Patients are the most important here’

He organises the event in order to educate, network and help the industry to speak with one voice in Poland, and to help regional integration within the industry. De Roy: ‘I am convinced that Poland has huge potential to develop businesses, as well as be a leader in an industry which still has such a significant room for innovation and development. We hope that the conference will result in a Memorandum of Understanding for a Polish Medical Cannabis Association. We hope that a more collaborative approach will assist everyone within the ecosystem, from cultivators to companies, and of course right through to the patients, who are the most important here.’

‘Future is promising, but process is difficult’

Looking at the future, De Roy sees huge potential in Poland, but it is not easy: ‘The election on October the 13th will likely show a lot! We have just had four new products registered in Poland raising the overall number to five, and there is a significant pipeline of products in line. There are rumors that all registrations have been halted, but this has not been verified officially, and there is much confusion about this. What is certain is that at present the process is cumbersome and difficult. We also have issues in terms of access for patients and cost, which is very much in line with many others in Europe.’