Destination Cultiva – Cannabis Congress

The destination for the 2017 Medical Cannabis Bike Tour is the Austrian capital, Vienna, and specifically the Cultiva Hemp Expo (or Hanfmesse). This event is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2017 and it is a well established expo in Europe.

Cannabis is legal in Austria until the plant begins to flower or so long as it does not produce THC, which makes for a rather unique quasi-legal status. Aside from the creativity of recreational users to work inside the law, cannabis is available in Austria for medical and scientific purposes and the number of medical users, for a range of illnesses and conditions, is steadily increasing.

Cultiva has established a reputation for highlighting the wider benefits of the cannabis plant. At the heart of this ethos is the Cultiva Congress, where international experts take to the stage to share knowledge about research, developments and current trends in the cannabis world. Presentations encompass medicine, politics, law and lifestyle.

This year, as always, a diverse panel will talk on topics including hemp textiles, hemp as a super food and the paradox of prohibition. However the dominant theme at Cultiva 2017 will be cannabis in medicine. The Congress program features talks on many aspects of this – from cannabis in psychiatry to legal aspects on pharma-grade cannabinoid extracts.

Also speaking at the Congress is Dr Guillermo Velasco, who opens the congress program with a presentation on cannabinoids as anti-cancer agents. Dr Velasco is one of the scientists from the University of Complutense in the Spanish capital of Madrid who will be conducting the clinical trials which will be paid for with money raised by the Medical Cannabis Bike Tour.

Representatives of the bike tour will present Dr Velasco with a check on the first day of the expo, funds that will pay the expenses of the independent clinical trial studying the effects of THC and CBD as anti-cancer agents on patients diagnosed with Glioma (brain cancer). 

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A Brief History of The Bicycle…

In October, the Medical Cannabis Bike Tour rides again with over 70 riders and volunteers taking to the roads of Czech Republic and Austria to fly the flag for the great cause of medical cannabis research. As with every year, participants will turn up on different types of bicycles. Over the years, in addition to the many super light, super fast road bikes, we have seen participants on mountain bikes, Dutch bikes, a hand powered bike and even a tandem!

There is no doubting the popularity of cycling these days and why not? The bike is a great way to keep fit and get from A to B while being kind to the planet. The first practical bicycle was invented by Baron Karl von Drais in Germany in 1817. It looked very much like the modern bicycle with one (big) difference – it had no pedals! The rider ran to pick up speed before jumping on to ride (like the pedal-less bikes small kids learn on now) – as a result it is said that those pioneering bicycle riders wore out their boots very quickly!

It was in the 1860s that pedals were added (in France) and in the 1870s cycling became faster with the invention of the ‘high cycle’. A pedal-driven large front wheel and a small back wheel offered more opportunities for speed, but also more opportunities for danger! In 1878, the first bicycle touring club was established in Britain and members wore grey uniforms because they showed up less dirt.

By the end of the Nineteenth century, the addition of a chain drive attached to the back wheel (to allow control of steering) revolutionised cycling and made the bicycle a mode of transport for the masses. It gave people a freedom that they had not had before and it is this sense of freedom that still appeals to us today. How easy is it to just jump on a bike and see where it takes you?

Some people think it is strange that the MCBT combines cannabis and cycling, but that is what the Medical Cannabis Bike Tour is all about – challenging preconceptions and provoking thought. For many years, medical cannabis was dismissed by policy makers and also many in the medical profession based on prohibition and lazy stereotypes. However, a huge wealth of anecdotal evidence is now being backed up by scientific research and the more we learn the more we realize that ignoring the benefits of medical cannabis was a mistake.

So here’s to the freedom of the bicycle and the thrill of riding the road with a posse of like minded individuals, working together to bring positive change.  And here’s to the work of the scientists pioneering medical cannabis research, working together to bring positive treatment. The Medical Cannabis Bike Tour 2017 is ready to roll!

 

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Go Fund Us!

The days are ticking towards the 2017 Medical Cannabis Bike Tour and yet again we have had a fantastic response from companies that have signed up to sponsor the bike tour. This money will be used to fund scientific research into the benefits of medical cannabis.

We have also had requests from individuals wishing to sponsor the bike tour and we have set up a new fundraising account with Go Fund Me that will allow people to do this. So if you have a friend or family member participating in this year’s bike tour and want to show some support, or if you would just like to support the work of the scientists that we sponsor, then please donate and become part of something special!

Follow the link to the Medical Cannabis Bike Tour Go Fund Me! page

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