ECH Announces Launch of ECH Medical

LONDON, May 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- ECH (European Cannabis Holdings), the London-based group with a fundamental anchor in the global cannabis market, has announced the launch of a new division of the business dedicated to ensuring that patients across Europe can access potentially life changing treatment.

The establishment of ECH Medical follows the launch last week of the first platform to facilitate the licensed importation of medical cannabis into Europe, Astral Health. The new ECH Medical division will now bring together Astral Health, The Medical Cannabis Clinics and The Academy of Medical Cannabis under one management team who will support the growth of the individual companies across the UK and Europe.

ECH Medical will take a comprehensive approach to improving access to medical cannabis for eligible patients by providing key infrastructure and educational services. The launch is part of ECH's growth strategy, which will be focused on what will become the five largest European markets – UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

ECH Medical will comprise:

• The Medical Cannabis Clinics, the UK's first chain of private clinics, which will be rolled out across other European countries later this year
• The Academy of Medical Cannabis, the online learning platform for healthcare professionals with a growing presence around the world including UK, Ireland, France, Brazil and New Zealand
• Astral Health, the first platform to facilitate the licensed importation of medical cannabis into Europe

Dean Friday, previously ECH's CFO, will take the reins as CEO of ECH Medical and will be joined on the leadership team by Prof. Mike Barnes (Chairman), Hannah Simon (COO), Jonathan Nadler (MD, Academy), Robert Whitehouse (MD, Astral) and Richard North (MD, Clinics). North has recently joined The Medical Cannabis Clinics bringing extensive experience overseeing the growth of medical or clinical facilities across the UK and Europe.

Hannah Deacon, the tireless campaigner for access to medical cannabis for her son Alfie Dingley and others, will continue as Patient Advocacy Specialist. The wider team includes a medical advisory board of Dr David McDowell, Dr Elizabeth Iveson, Dr Dani Gordon and Dr Leon Barron, along with other highly-respected specialist physicians in the UK and across Europe.

Stephen Murphy, ECH co-founder commented: "We are delighted to mark the next step of ECH's strategic growth across Europe with the setting up of a specific division designed to transform treatment options for patients with chronic and debilitating conditions. ECH Medical will work with an experienced and respected group of medical practitioners and pharmaceutical experts in order to play a leading role in expanding patient access to safe and effective medical cannabis treatments, both at point of prescription and beyond, by ensuring critical infrastructure and educational services are in place."

ABOUT ECH  

ECH is an unrivalled group of companies at the forefront of the cannabis industry. It provides venture capital, exceptional talent and operational excellence to a portfolio that includes market intelligence firm Prohibition Partners, Europe's leading medical cannabis conference Cannabis Europa, CBD brand Nooro, online learning platform The Academy of Medical Cannabis, UK private clinic chain The Medical Cannabis Clinics and importation and distribution platform Astral Health. These holdings provide ECH with a fundamental anchor in the cannabis industry while helping to shape its future.

Contacts: Jennifer Lipman, +44 (0)20-7025-2325, jennifer.lipman@lexcomm.co.uk     

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