The Early Days of Cannabis and the law

The History of Medical Cannabis has been one that has been fraught with difficulties due to the lengthy history of prohibition that has routinely infringed on the liberties of medical Cannabis patients worldwide. The history of medical Cannabis has been more contradictory than unfavourable for the substance. For instance, in 1553, King Henry VIII imposed restrictions on the public that required every 60-acre-plus household under strict instruction to grow hemp or face a stiff fine. Often landowners defied this law, and the penalties of £5.00 were severe at the time; this meant that the business of detecting and fining agricultural farms without a farm was highly profitable. This legislation enforcing Cannabis cultivation was imposed chiefly to ensure the country had enough hemp material to construct nautical gear such as ropes, sails and fishing nets, and textiles such as Linen. 

In the UK, Cannabis was legal as medicine and accepted as such until the 1930s. As well as it once being a law to grow Cannabis, it's also been reported that Queen Victoria's doctor Sir John Russell-Reynolds may have prescribed her cannabis oil for menstrual cramps! Despite how positive things seem for Cannabis in this period of history, at least in standing to the laws of the last 100 years, this was soon to change. The change came around in 1928 when the UK passed a law called the Coco Leaves & Indian Hemp regulations, which classified Cannabis as a poison. In 1937, the USA made it illegal for all uses following some less severe restrictions already implemented in the years prior. A widespread era of moral panic followed, which is now commonly referred to as Reefer Madness, tied to this change was underpinned by what is now a satirical propaganda movie, Reefer Madness, released in 1936. The film aimed to strike fear into the average person about the perceived danger of the substance, funded by a church group whose obvious intent was to strike fear into them around the consumption of Cannabis. But, of course, the film was complete fiction, worsened by the fact that it played into racial and xenophobic fears of white society at the time by associating it with Mexicans and showing white women falling in love with the Mexicans. In short,

I sat with one of the founders and CEOs of D-ODR to discuss his D-ODR journey.

Having had a close relationship with the brains behind D-ODR, I wanted to share his story, and an in-person interview was what I felt was most authentic. 

D-ODR's founders have had a long history within this industry in other business ventures, including the highly sought-after Kenex Scales. I realised I had never really probed much into what landed him in this industry. I knew he didn't have much personal relationship with the plant, so I was curious because he managed to execute products to the highest level for people who smoked. For example, with D-ODR, if I didn't know anything about the inventors, I would've assumed smokers created the product. The level of thought behind every step, fragrance and function of the mist is exceptional. 

I wanted to know more about how he landed in the industry, his evolution, and his latest business venture, D-ODR. 

How did you initially get into this industry?

I got in by accident if I'm being honest. 

I moved over here from Spain in 2005. The idea was to bring over the family business and find wholesalers to grow our company, selling cash and carrying the pound store equivalent. That didn't work out, but I found one wholesaler on Middlesex Street who showed me a pocket scale and told me that this was a jewellery scale. He understood that I had excellent contacts in China and asked if I could source them. 

That's where it all started. 

I got the sample from him, sent it to China