Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1360420
KARL AZZOPARDI WITH his houndstooth jacket, cannabis brooch, and slick talk- ing style, cannabis influencer Daniel Gauci cuts a radical fig- ure in an industry whose chief consumers are stereotyped as slackers. But from his Sliema apartment, Gauci is looking far ahead into the future. An evangelist for a cannabis ven- ture that is benefiting from fast-changing legislation across the globe, 'gentleman smoker' Daniel Gauci thinks the sky's the limit for the once forbidden plant. On Instagram, Gauci effort- lessly interacts with an au- dience that is learning about 'sativa' and 'indica', seeing him roll a joint for his "breakfast of champions", advocating for the responsible use of cannabis as a daily help in a fast-paced life of stress. As a cannabis entrepreneur and one of the team behind the crowd-growing company Juicy Fields, Gauci says cannabis is now among the fastest-grow- ing industries in the world with turnover from the medical and recreational industry increas- ing year on year. His Juicy Fields provides a platform for e-growers to fos- ter medicinal cannabis plants with fully-licensed community cannabis cultivators around the world, including Portugal, Den- mark, Mexico and Colombia. "Our model keeps that money within the community level, so that the supply chain retains the money and the value, allow- ing these organisations to grow on their own rather than sell- ing out to the big corporations right away," Gauci says. In this "crowd growing" sys- tem, all distribution networks, processing systems, licenses, employees, and cultivation expertise are already in place through the partnerships and the platform's subsidiaries. New cannabis entrepreneurs can enter the business with less risk, by removing the usual en- try barriers for licensing, costs, cultivation and distribu- tion expertise. Gauci has now been working in the cannabis industry for the last 15 years, and has a phar- maceutical background. He has also been cul- tivating marijuana in a number of different countries. "I believe be- ing in the industry offers you that credibility to be able to offer advice," Gauci says, whose love for cannabis and pharma background are almost part of his faith in this most heal- ing of plants. He credits can- nabis with having helped his daughter successfully recover from a kidney tumour. "I am in a unique position. Canna- bis helped save my daughter's life; cannabis can help treat my son's autism; cannabis gives me a legitimate source of income and may help others through- out the world." Gauci explains how while on her road to recovery, he and his wife administered their daughter full-spectrum, high- strength THC (tetrahydrocan- nabinol) oils. "We decided to do so for a number of rea- sons. When we get down to the medicinal proper- ties of how it works, it basically tricks cancer cells into committing suicide in certain tu- mours." Gauci warned this is not the case in all cancer cells. But he says the lift- ing of prohibition laws across the world could lead to more research and better re- sults. "Certain people have re- ported that their tumours have shrunk, cleared up and gone all together, whereas others have reported no difference all to- gether. This is a field which needs more research and more clarity," Gauci said. He is now pleasantly surprised at the government's recently launched white paper on re- sponsible cannabis use. "I didn't expect it to go as far as it went. I think it needs to be honed a little bit, with the language. For example, it should outline what maturity of plants one can keep at his own home," he said. Gauci thinks Malta should not stop at decriminalisation, but rather opt for full legalisation. "I respect and support a num- ber of these NGOs, and they do have fair points, but I think that when they talk about these issues, they are speaking about a small number of cannabis us- ers, and we have to address the underlying problems of why people abuse substances. His- tory has shown us that legality does not mean morality." 12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 APRIL 2021 NEWS For 'Gentleman Smoker' Daniel Gauci, the sky's the limit for the cannabis industry High priest of weed "I am in a unique position. Cannabis helped save my daughter's life; cannabis can help treat my son's autism; cannabis gives me a legitimate source of income and may help others throughout the world." Daniel Gauci at home with his daughter: the cannabis entrepreneur is a strong advocate of the plant's medicinal properties PHOTO JAMES BIANCHI