Research on the endocannabinoid system is one of the most promising avenues for new therapeutics in medicine at the moment. However, regulations are constantly shifting. This report has been compiled to assist interested parties in understanding the market for the medical use of cannabinoids and where it may be heading.

In both Europe and the United States, the sales of unapproved cannabis products such as smokable flower and full spectrum oils dwarfs those of approved pharmaceuticals. In Europe however, there is a clear trend towards the use of more precise formulations of unapproved cannabis products as well as pharmaceutical products. In the US, sales of medical flower and vaporised products remain dominant amongst unapproved medicines, but there is also an increase in sales of pharmaceuticals.

Prohibition Partners has identified at least 30 late-stage clinical trials using cannabinoid therapeutics, any of which will probably have a large impact on the medicinal cannabis space.

In the medium to long term, Prohibition Partners expect to see the development of a range of new cannabinoid therapeutics approved across the globe. Operators in the space can expect to see these products gradually taking up more of the market share at the expense of unapproved flower and full spectrum oils over the next 10 years.