Australia’s Greenfield MC announces NZ-based Joint Venture to cultivate and research medicinal cannabis
Announcement posted by Greenfield MC 06 Sep 2019
- The Joint Venture will see Greenfield MC become the first Australianowned company to set up operations to cultivate medicinal cannabis for research purposes in New Zealand.
- An objective of the JV is to research the safety and efficacy of medicinal cannabis for the treatment of health conditions disproportionately affecting Maori.
The JV, to be known as Greenfield MC Limited (NZ), is the first Australian-owned operation to focus on cultivating medicinal cannabis for research purposes in New Zealand. The JV’s initial research project will study the efficacy of growing specific strains of the cannabis plant in various environments in New Zealand, with future research projects likely aiming to examine the effectiveness and safety of medicinal cannabis for certain health conditions that disproportionately affect Maori, such as Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM).[1]
Greenfield MC and EPHS’ strategic partnership with Wepiha Health Co will ensure that any research projects studying Maori health will be conducted within a Kaupapa Maori framework– that is, a project conducted by Maori, for Maori and with Maori. “In New Zealand, health disparity for Maori is a key area of focus,” explained Greenfield MC Limited (NZ)’s Director of Research, Dr Anna Rolleston, “with disparities in almost all areas of health attributed largely to system-related issues and social determinants of health. Once we have cultivation underway in New Zealand and have completed our initial research project, one of the objectives is to understand how medicinal cannabis could be beneficial to Maori healthcare and how the industry as a whole might support Maori aspirations.”
Forming the Greenfield MC Limited (NZ) team are Dr Anna Rolleston as Director of Research, Mariana Hudson as Chief Pharmaceutical Officer and Hans Dirkse as an Advisory Board Member. The company is also consulting with a lead clinical trialist and biostatistician who will support the development of the research project protocol.
Dr Anna Rolleston is a Senior Research Fellow at both the University of Auckland and the University of Waikato, and a Director at The Centre for Health Ltd. She specialises in Kaupapa Maori health research, with an emphasis on chronic disease. Mariana Hudson is a Pharmacist who is the Director of Apothecary Limited and the current Vice President of The Maori Pharmacists’ Association, and Hans Dirkse was the inaugural Chair of the Certified Organic Kiwifruit Association and is a leader in organic grow operations who has spent a lifetime working in the agricultural sector.
“We are very proud of the New Zealand-based team we have assembled,” said Greenfield MC’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Sree Appu. “They have outstanding experience in their fields of expertise and have an intimate understanding of what is required to ensure that any research projects we conduct are culturally sensitive, empowering and further the case for medicinal cannabis as a form of treatment.”
Greenfield MC Limited (NZ)’s New Zealand cultivation operation is anticipated to commence by Q2 2020, with the research projects to commence after the first harvest. The company is working towards lodging its NZ medicinal cannabis licence to cultivate for research and will ultimately look to include NZ importation and distribution licences.
“We are passionate about the potential of medicinal cannabis to positively impact patients’ lives,” concluded Nicholas Hanna, Greenfield MC’s CEO, “and we believe that this new Joint Venture in New Zealand will take us one step closer to becoming a leading producer and supplier of medicinal cannabis products in the Asia-Pacific and Oceania regions.”
- ENDS -
Distributed by Uproar Marketing on behalf of Greenfield MC
Media contact: Rachel McDougall | 0401 694 301 | rachel@uproarmarketing.com.au
Notes for Editors
About Greenfield MC
Greenfield MC is a licenced medicinal cannabis importer and distributor in Australia, with expanding operations in cultivation, research and distribution in the Asia-Pacific region.
Independent and privately owned, Greenfield MC focuses on medicine, science and results. Formed in 2018, Greenfield MC has a vision to be Asia-Pacific’s leading wholesaler and patient-retailer of medicinal cannabis products. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, Greenfield MC is also represented across Melbourne and Brisbane in Australia, as well as New Zealand, South Korea and the Philippines.
For further information visit www.greenfieldmc.com.au
About EPHS Holdings Inc. (STNN:US)
EPHS Holdings Inc. is a licensed commercial cannabis cultivator engaging in the cultivation, possession, research, processing, sales, and distribution of medicinal and recreational cannabis under the licensing regime of a Health Canada Licensed Producer. EPHS has an existing grow operation in Montreal and is constructing a second grow operation in Merritt BC, which should scale up to 1.2 million square feet of cultivating greenhouses. EPHS is committed to delivering premium medical cannabis using fully integrated purpose built, intelligently controlled buildings coupled with environmentally friendly low-cost energy and micro grid systems.
For further information visit www.ephsholdings.com
About Wepiha Health Co.
Wepiha Health Co is a newly created entity led by Maori clinical researchers and academics, agriculturalists, and leading pharmacists. Its founders include Dr Anna Rolleston, a Senior Research Fellow at both the University of Auckland and the University of Waikato, and a Director at The Centre for Health Ltd, and Rush Wepiha, who is an internationally recognised indigenous youth mentor and speaker who focuses his platform on the development of better healthcare and medical education in rural and/or Maori communities.
[1] Prevalence of T2DM among Maori is estimated to be about twice that of non-Maori https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/populations/maori-health/tatau-kahukura-maori-health-statistics/nga-mana-hauora-tutohu-health-status-indicators/diabetes