Occasionally you hear that “medical cannabis is legal in the UK” when at international cannabis conferences. This is almost an “in black and white” or “down on paper” kind of “medical cannabis” whereby technically there is because there is a pharmaceutical company licenced to produce and research it. They have gone on to make medicines from this research which are very limited in their application to illnesses that have been traditionally treated by cannabis. But for Governments it is an acceptable starting place.
I can’t even count how many times I have been told “I would love to work in the legal cannabis industry” usually followed by “when it happens”.
Well, today is your lucky day…if you fit these requirements.
GW Pharmaceuticals explain the position within their firm.
“Excellent opportunities have arisen to work in one of the most exciting areas of modern medicine within this innovative pharmaceutical company.
GW Pharmaceuticals was founded in 1998 and is listed on both the NASDAQ Global Market (GWPH) and AIM, a market of the London Stock Exchange. GW is licensed by the UK Home Office to work with a range of controlled drugs for medical research purposes.
GW’s vision is to make a positive difference in the lives of patients through the development of a portfolio of cannabinoid prescription medicines in a wide range of therapeutic indications. Our strategy is to build on our world leading position in the field of cannabinoid science and in the research, development and commercialization of cannabinoid molecules as novel prescription pharmaceutical therapeutic candidates.
Our lead product is Epidiolex, which is currently in Phase 3 FDA clinical trials being studied in a number of catastrophic childhood-onset epilepsy syndromes. The product has been granted orphan drug status in those indications. On 14 March 2016, we announced positive results from the Epidiolex Phase 3 trial in Dravet syndrome.
GW has assembled a large in-house team with extensive experience in developing cannabinoids, medicines containing controlled substances, as well as plant-based prescription pharmaceutical products. GW maintains in-house control over all aspects of the cannabinoid product development process. GW also holds GMP manufacturing licences for the manufacture of pharmaceutical products for both clinical trials and commercial purposes
For details of GW’s current marketed product and international clinical research programme please refer to information on the company’s website: www.gwpharm.com.
To apply for an advertised position please send your CV together with a covering letter stating your salary expectations to [email protected].”
This would all be really impressive if they didn’t have a monopoly on cannabis. There are around 20,000 arrests for cannabis in the UK every year while approximately 6 million grams of pure cannabis oil are produced a year by GW Pharmaceuticals. But if you have what it takes…maybe you could be exempt from the law when working in this field too? And what a good smelling field it must be.
The Role
Reporting to the QC Team Leader, the QC Scientist will be involved in multiple areas of QC testing (raw material, API, finished product, stability) as well as various laboratory support activities (method validation, instrument calibration and qualification).
Key Responsibilities
- Perform analytical testing using GC, HPLC, TLC, FTIR and other required techniques in accordance with written procedures
- Qualification of Laboratory instruments and validation of analytical methods
- Provide clear and accurate records of all work performed
- Ensures that all analytical operations are performed in accordance with current cGMP regulations
- Record data into appropriate records and notify the line manager of any OOS, OOT, OOE or questionable results
- Creating and updating documents in accordance with cGMP and company procedures
Essential Skills
- Educated to degree level in chemistry (or related science based subject) as a minimum
- Experience of working in a pharmaceutical or other regulated laboratory
- High level of knowledge and understanding of cGMP regulations
- Experience in analytical method validation and instrument qualification
- Knowledge and understanding of data integrity requirements
- Knowledge and experience of QC analytical testing and the use, and troubleshooting of, analytical instrumentation
- Good communication, presentation, coaching/training, and team working skills
- Computer literate
- High level of numeracy
- Excellent attention to detail and ‘concern for quality’
- Develops and maintains positive working relationships with others
- Demonstrates a ‘can do’ approach
Desirable:
- Experience of using the Empower CDS
- Knowledge of CSV requirements in a GMP environment
- Knowledge of stability testing and associated guidelines
- Experience of Pharmacopoeial testing and the use of Pharmacopoeias
Location: South East, UK
So if you are qualified and you want a job in the UK’s legal cannabis industry – why not give it a shot!
Good luck from all at the UK Cannabis Social Clubs if you do!
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