CEO of British Cannabis™, Tom Whettem, talks to Cannabis Health about his journey so far
Entrepreneur and CEO of British Cannabis, Tom Whitten, on building a legacy his daughter would be proud of and securing the position of the largest manufacturer of legal cannabis in the UK.
“My number one goal is to have my son say I love you. People take that for granted… that people talk and say I love you. That’s all I want to hear my son say.”
These words from Jason David, father of epileptic child Jayden, rocked the world of medical cannabis in April 2013. He described weening his seven-year-old son off 22 prescription pills a day to be replaced by a small dose of cannabis oil, almost immediately putting an end to the constant seizures from which he had suffered since birth.
“The first day I gave it to him was the first day he went seizure-free,” Jason tells his interviewer in a YouTube video shared thousands of times.
Tom’s journey
For another father, Tom Whettem, these words were powerful enough for him to begin a journey that propelled a small British start-up to become the largest manufacturer of legal cannabis supplements in the UK.
It’s a journey that has seen him play an instrumental role in influencing the regulatory direction of ‘Novel Food’ supplements, working with the EU and member states, supporting trade bodies and securing the position of an industry built around the once-controversial substance.
Tom Whettem, CEO of British Cannabis
When Tom was growing up in Berkshire, UK, attending the same school as Dragons’ Den’s Peter Jones, Cannabis was just an illegal substance.
But all that has changed. As of 31 March 2022, Tom’s company, British Cannabis™, now manufactures nine per cent of all CBD food supplements legal to sell in the UK, following its successful inclusion on the Food Standard Agency’s (FSA) Novel Foods public list.
“It was by chance that I saw that video of Jayden,“ says Tom.
“Diagnosed with a rare and catastrophic form of epilepsy, his life was changed overnight by CBD. I saw an opportunity to start a business that could be based on principles I had never experienced before.
CBD by British Cannabis
A path that yielded
Semi-retired aged 30, this natural-born entrepreneur had a string of successful businesses after turning his back on traditional employment at 20. Eventually, however, he realised that money wasn’t the key to happiness.
“The moment my daughter was born two months premature, my outlook on life changed. I was fortunate enough to have financial stability at that point. Overnight, I exited my businesses, relinquished everything self-serving and surrendered myself to the pursuit of happiness,“ Tom explains.
“I stopped drinking and smoking and started eating well and exercising daily. I transformed from a selfish businessman to a generous human being. My daily mantra became ‘legacy before currency’, and this is when the journey started.”
He continues: “I dedicated those five years to raising my daughter. It was just me and her. Looking back, they were the best five years of my life. We formed a lifelong bond.
“While she learned to walk, talk, read, and write, I knew that being a dad gave me more life lessons than I had experienced in the previous 30 years combined.
“I wanted to make a difference, to change people’s lives and leave a lasting legacy to make my daughter proud. When I saw the video of Jayden, who was suffering from hundreds of seizures a day and then had his life returned after taking CBD, I didn’t hesitate.“
British Cannabis™ was born.
A pioneering spirit
They say that pioneers are the ones with the arrows in their backs, and Tom’s story was no less arduous. He persevered and has the scars to prove it.
“There was no CBD in the UK at that time. I knew that even if I made a difference in one person’s life, it would be worth it. Little did I know we would improve the lives of thousands of people over the next seven years,“ he says.
CBD as a Novel Food
When Tom started, there was no blueprint for the CBD industry in the UK. He began from scratch.
“We built the science, technology, and growing methods from the ground up,“ he says.
The most monumental challenge has been complying with the regulatory environment surrounding CBD as a ‘Novel Food’, the classification under which CBD products are now listed in the UK.
Tom and his team went above and beyond to prove the safety and efficacy of CBD, a task that only a company like British Cannabis™ could have achieved. Getting listed by the FSA was a big deal.
“It was like everything I had done in my life up to this point had led me to this,“ says Tom.
“I was not qualified; I left school at 15 to work instead of continuing to further education. I only achieved two GCSEs in English and Maths. I was told I would never get anywhere in life. That has always been my motivation.
Some of the British Cannabis team
Novel foods are not just about the law.
“I was never interested in science at school, but was interested in developing our primary extraction method, THC removal methods, undertaking the first cannabinoid analysis within the business and developing nearly all of the products we sell today,“ Tom continues.
“Building our farm from the ground up and living and breathing cannabis every day all gave me the knowledge to demonstrate the safety of CBD as a Novel Food.”
The personal rewards have been tremendous.
Tom says, “The business has enabled me to help so many of our customers and has been instrumental in securing the industry’s future. Many lives would have been worse if we hadn’t done what we did. My legacy before currency mantra has driven every aspect of my life for the last ten years.“
“The daily emails and thanks we receive as a team continue to drive this business.”
He continues: “Alfie, a little boy like Jayden, inspired this journey. We have given him over £50,000 of free cannabis oil after the NHS let him down. As a result of our products, he is now walking, talking, and even going to school like an average child. We have given him the chance to have an everyday life.
“Then there’s Paul, who had never really met his dad as his father had been struck down with a debilitating illness when he was four. Only 20 years later, when he gave his dad our CBD oil, his father smiled at him for the first time. Imagine that – 26 years of age, and it’s the first time your dad smiles and talks to you.”
Its dedication to regulatory compliance and professionalism sets British Cannabis™ apart from the competition in this emerging market. So, where is this business heading?
“I aspire to a world in which we stand on the shoulders of giants and stand shoulder to shoulder alongside them. I want British Cannabis™ to be a household name,“ says Tom, who still has much more to give to this burgeoning industry.
“After years of being self-funded, having no debt and operating a profitable business, we are now looking for investment. The next stage is to enable others to share this legacy with me and help further accelerate our growth.
“Everything I do, whatever it is, is dedicated to continuing the legacy of British Cannabis™.”
Disclaimer: https://cannabishealthnews.co.uk/2022/06/01/field-of-dreams-ceo-british-cannabis-building-a-legacy
Posted by: Times Of Hemp, TOH, #TOH, #TimesOfHemp, https://www.timesofhemp.com
