A UK-based medicinal cannabis company has unveiled a marijuana-related fund in London, called JPD Capital.
Eco Equity has licences to grow and cultivate cannabis in Zimbabwe and Antigua to “advance the medical extracts, related products and sector as a whole”.
The firm said the JPD Capital fund has already attracted investors from the UK, Middle East and Europe and requires a minimum investment of £25,000 ($32,690, €29,532).
JPD is domiciled in Guernsey but has marketing offices in London.
The fund’s aim is to “invest in entities ranging from greenhouse to lighting, seed to cultivation, agricultural suppliers to distribution and companies that play a huge part in the ‘seed to sale’ journey”, Eco Equity added.
In the UK, it is only legal to invest in cannabis for medical purposes.
If the investment is directed towards recreational use, it could fall under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and be considered a criminal offence.
Industry growth on a high
Jon-Paul Doran, founder of JPD Capital, said: “The success of our pharmaceutical arm, Eco Equity, over the past 18 months shows there is appetite for investment in the industry.
“The cannabis market is the fastest-growing market of 2019, proving its unstoppable growth and obvious attraction for investors.
“We want our investors to feel confident and we want our investors to see returns, as well as achieving our main aim of finding alternative and natural treatments for life-threatening illnesses.”
The JPD Capital fund follows the introduction of the first medicinal cannabis ETF in Europe by Canadian asset management firm Purpose Investments.
Its Medical Cannabis and Wellness Ucits ETF (CBDX) was unveiled on 13 January 2020 on the Deutsche Boerse and was created in partnership with European white label ETF platform HanETF.