Tilray is a global pioneer in the research, cultivation, production and distribution of cannabis and cannabinoids currently serving tens of thousands of patients and consumers in 15 countries spanning five continents.

Tilray is an early leader in the Canadian medical cannabis market, as one of the first Health Canada Licensed Producers, we have proudly served patients in need since 2014. We provide a mix of high-CBD, THC & CBD balanced, and high-THC products in various form factors, manufactured in our GMP-certified facility in Nanaimo, B.C.

Tilray products are backed by science. We invest in clinical research that supports the understanding of the therapeutic value of medical cannabis, while our growing practices and extract formulations are based on the latest data and innovation ensuring our products are of the highest quality and safety.

We aim to lead, legitimize and define the global medical cannabis market by building the world’s most trusted cannabis and hemp company.

1. Where are you located? Why do you work in this community?

Medical products for the Canadian market are fulfilled at our GMP-certified facility in Nanaimo, B.C. This community on Vancouver Island had everything our founders sought: available land and buildings, local expertise in the workforce, and local government willing to work together to build a vision of a world-class cannabis production, manufacturing and R&D facility.

2. Why is medical cannabis important to your organization?

Tilray was built on the principle that medical cannabis is a mainstream medicine consumed by mainstream patients. We aim to lead, legitimize and define the global medical cannabis market by building the world’s most trusted cannabis and hemp company.

3. Are there any specific stories you can share about what inspired founders or leaders in your company to provide medical cannabis?

Our CEO, Brendan Kennedy, one of the three original founders of Tilray, saw that in the U.S., attitudes toward medical cannabis were changing. Mr. Kennedy saw that cannabis prohibition was doing far more harm than good and decided to build a company that provided access to safe, high quality cannabis products to patients in need around the world.

4. Which awards, certifications, recognitions has your company/brand/individuals in your organization received?

• Multiple winning products at the annual Canadian Cannabis Awards, including Top Hybrid Flower in 2016 (Lemon Sour Diesel) and 2017 (Pink Kush).

• Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2017 for Healthcare/Medical Service Business of the Year and Major Employer of the Year.

• 2019 Ontario Pharmaceutical Marketing Association award for Best Health Care Provider Professional Audience Print for our Cannabis Medicine information hub.

5. Which innovations is your company/brand proud of?  

Tilray was one of the first Health Canada Licensed Producers in Canada. 

Tilray was the first licensed producer to achieve GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) certification at our Nanaimo, B.C., production facility. This is an internationally recognized standard of high quality and commitment to excellence that allowed Tilray to export medical cannabis products to 15 countries across five continents. We have since earned GMP certification at our global facility in Portugal.

Tilray was the first North American company to offer medical cannabis products to patients in Africa, Australia, Europe and South America.

6. How does your organization show leadership in support for fairness and equality?

At Tilray, our mission is to improve lives through the power of cannabis and hemp by building the world’s most trusted and valued cannabis and hemp company. On this mission, we’re committed to eliminating cannabis prohibition and the harms it causes around the world while supporting global access, advocacy and understanding. This mission is supported by four primary pillars:

• Advancing Cannabis Research

• Patient Advocacy and Access

• Social Justice

• Corporate Citizenship

The global prohibition of cannabis has caused more harm than good, plain and simple. In the U.S. alone, more than 1 million non-violent offenders have been imprisoned for a minor cannabis drug offense. Tilray is fighting to empower those that have been charged in the past with non-violent cannabis offenses. We fund programs that provide entrepreneurship opportunities, career training and mentorship for people with criminal histories. In collaboration with the Minority Cannabis Business Association, we are providing funding for the expungement of criminal records associated with non-violent cannabis offenses. 

Tilray is proud to support organizations in North America that advocate for changes in the criminal justice process and prisoner reform. Most recently, Tilray has supported organizations such as the John Howard Society and Defy Ventures that are working to balance some of the injustices caused by cannabis prohibition. 

Mr. Kennedy and fellow Tilray founders pledged $5 million to support communities harmed by prohibition; Mr. Kennedy personally pledged $1 million to New Approach PAC, working toward cannabis legalization and reform. In 2020, Mr. Kennedy has so far contributed $500,000 to that pledge.

We remain committed to supporting initiatives like these now and for the long-term.

7. How does your organization show leadership in sustainable environmental practices?  

Tilray is dedicated and invested in the development of best‐in class industry standards for environmental management. We pursue environmental practices that contribute to a sustainable society and enhance our corporate citizenship. We are working to improve the environmental sustainability standards of the nascent cannabis industry as a whole in all countries where we operate.  Our Global Environmental Policy sets out a framework with benchmarks for environmental, social and governance issues that tie into every aspect of how we conduct our business.

8. What initiatives are you implementing (or have implemented) to ensure diversity in leadership roles? 

Tilray operates ethically and in compliance with rules that govern our areas of operations as an organization and industry leader. Our success is dependent on us maintaining the highest standards of business and professional conduct.  As a part of the Tilray Compliance Program, Tilray has enacted a Code of Business Conduct, which outlines the ethical standards and compliance requirements that each of us are bound by—a program that is completed by each and every employee at Tilray.  As the backbone of our Compliance Program, the Code of Conduct ensures every Tilray employee understands the ethical standards, compliance requirements and business practices that will help us achieve our shared goal of establishing Tilray as the world’s most trusted and valuable cannabis and hemp company.

We remain committed to bringing diverse voices to the table as our company grows. Our Board of Directors is the first women-led board in the Canadian cannabis industry. These three accomplished women from diverse business backgrounds hold our team accountable on behalf of our shareholders.

We know there is more work to do. Recently, our CEO acknowledged and committed to continuing to seek our diverse voices at our company in a letter to employees: “I will continue to seek out diverse voices for positions of leadership within our organization and champion diversity and inclusion at all levels. We need to do better at Tilray and the cannabis industry as a whole.”

9. How do you ensure that your products are safe and high quality for patients?

We exceed the regulations stipulated by Health Canada through our GMP certification. All of our products are tested in-house for quality and potency, as well as by third-party laboratories to ensure only clean, precise products are shipped to our patients.

Every patient complaint is logged and investigated by our Quality Assurance team to ensure compliance to Health Canada and our GMP standards.

10. What sets your products apart from competitive products and why should this matter to patients and consumers?

Tilray is proudly pioneering the effort to further understand the therapeutic value of cannabis. Under the guidance of our independent Medical Advisory Board and through partnerships with leading research institutions globally, Tilray is currently supporting clinical trials around the world studying the efficacy of cannabis in treating indications including chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, essential tremor, childhood epilepsy and PTSD. We have also assisted in developing and publishing numerous studies exploring the effects of cannabis and empowering patients to use it safely.

Simply put, our products are backed by science. Growing practices and extract formulations are based on the latest data and innovation ensuring our products are of the highest quality. 

Our GMP certification means a higher standard of quality than required by Health Canada on all aspects of manufacturing, from growing practices to raw material input on extraction.

11. Which of your products have had the most interest from patients and healthcare providers and why?

Tilray 2:100 CBD Oil. It contains the highest concentration of CBD content available in the legal Canadian market. This product was developed based on the formulation used in the successful clinic trial at Toronto Hospital for Sick Children evaluating its efficacy in children with Dravet Syndrome, a hard-to-treat form of epilepsy. It is now available for all Tilray patients.

12. What are the growing practices for your flower, and what kind of extraction methods do you use for your formulations?

Our flower is grown indoors at our GMP-certified facility in Nanaimo, in accordance with Health Canada, GMP and internal quality and safety measures. 

In Nanaimo, we use sub-zero ethanol method for our extraction process. This method protects the delicate cannabinoid content to provide broad spectrum, precisely formulated products for the medical market.

13. How do you source your ingredients?

All third-party ingredients, such as potting material, carrier oils and even product packaging, must meet our stringent GMP standards, which means only the best quality materials are used in Tilray products.

14. Which specific products or processes are your most innovative or unique and why?

All-in-One THC Vape Pen. The second phase of legalization in Canada allowed us to develop new form factors to meet the varying needs and preferences of our patients. Tilray’s All-In-One THC Vape Pen contains a target concentration of 425 mg of THC distillate with no flavours or additives. Many patients chose this option because it’s simple and discreet to use. THC Vape Pen is designed for all patients who are seeking rapid onset of effects, especially those unable to use flower and a vaporizer due to arthritic hands, spasticity or housing conditions that prevent the use of dried cannabis.

15. Tell us about any collaborations you have been (or currently are part of) with researchers, clinicians, scientists to help advance cannabis medical research.

All third-party ingredients, such as potting material, carrier oils and even product packaging, must meet our stringent GMP standards, which means only the best quality materials are used in Tilray products.

Tilray is currently supporting the following clinical trials:

1. University of Sydney, NSW Government, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse: Testing the efficacy and tolerability of medical cannabis as treatment for chemotherapy-induced nausea & vomiting

2.The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada: Testing the efficacy and tolerability of medical cannabis oil as treatment for pediatric epilepsy/Dravet Syndrome

3. University of British Columbia, Canada: Testing medical cannabis as treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder

4.McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Tested medical cannabis to treat chronic pulmonary obstruction disorder (COPD)

5. UCSD, San Diego, U.S.: Testing the efficacy and tolerability of medical cannabis (capsule) as treatment for Essential Tremor

6. Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia: Evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of a randomized placebo-controlled trial of the efficacy of cannabidiol (CBD) in reducing Severe Behavioral Problems in children with intellectual disabilities.

7. McGill University Health Centre: Testing medical cannabis on immune activation in people living with HIV.

8. NYU School of Medicine: Testing the effectiveness of CBD as treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)

9. NYU School of Medicine: Testing the effectiveness of CBD as treatment for AUD combined with PTSD

10. Columbia University, New York, New York, U.S.: Testing medical cannabis to treat taxane-induced neuropathy (TIPN) in patients undergoing breast cancer treatment

16. Have any collaborations lead to published research? If so, please tell us the names of the articles published for reference.

McCoy, Bláthnaid, et al. "A prospective open‐label trial of a CBD/THC cannabis oil in dravet syndrome." Annals of clinical and translational neurology 5.9 (2018): 1077-1088.

Lucas, Philippe, and Zach Walsh. "Medical cannabis access, use, and substitution for prescription opioids and other substances: a survey of authorized medical cannabis patients." International Journal of Drug Policy 42 (2017): 30-35.

Lucas, P. Rationale for cannabis-based interventions in the opioid overdose crisis. Harm Reduction Journal 14, 58 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-017-0183-9

Baron, Eric P., et al. "Patterns of medicinal cannabis use, strain analysis, and substitution effect among patients with migraine, headache, arthritis, and chronic pain in a medicinal cannabis cohort." The journal of headache and pain 19.1 (2018): 37.

Lucas, Philippe, Eric P. Baron, and Nick Jikomes. "Medical cannabis patterns of use and substitution for opioids & other pharmaceutical drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and illicit substances; results from a cross-sectional survey of authorized patients." Harm reduction journal 16.1 (2019): 9.

17. What ongoing studies are you participating in? (vs past or arm’s-length relationships)

See question 16.

1. University of Sydney, NSW Government, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse: Testing the efficacy and tolerability of medical cannabis as treatment for chemotherapy-induced nausea & vomiting

2. University of British Columbia, Canada: Testing medical cannabis as treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder

3. UCSD, San Diego, U.S.: Testing the efficacy and tolerability of medical cannabis (capsule) as treatment for Essential Tremor

4. Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia: Evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of a randomized placebo-controlled trial of the efficacy of cannabidiol (CBD) in reducing Severe Behavioral Problems in children with intellectual disabilities.

5. McGill University Health Centre: Testing medical cannabis on immune activation in people living with HIV.

6. NYU School of Medicine: Testing the effectiveness of CBD as treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)

7. NYU School of Medicine: Testing the effectiveness of CBD as treatment for AUD combined with PTSD

8. Columbia University, New York, New York, U.S.: Testing medical cannabis to treat taxane-induced neuropathy (TIPN) in patients undergoing breast cancer treatment

9. Medical Cannabis in Older Patients: Philippe Lucas, vice-president patient research and access, with Greenly Health, investigating how medical use of cannabis affects treatment outcomes in older patients

10. Tilray Observational Patient Study (TOPS): Tilray-sponsored survey of medical cannabis patients using Tilray products, with research led by Philippe Lucas.

18. What are future products are you working on?

We are constantly conducting R&D to ensure our portfolio offers patients a diverse option of high-quality medical products. New legislation allows us to investigate the potential of alternative form factors, such as tablets, topicals and softgels to make dosing medical cannabis easier. We’re excited to share more information about new form factors in the future. 

19. Tell us about any work you have done in the past (or are currently involved in) working directly with patients and patient or ailment-related communities.

Our commitment to patients is evident in our dedication to clinical research (summarized above). In addition to our clinical research program, we support many patient-centric initiatives: 

• From 2016-19, we supported the Wounded Warriors Run and B.C. Bike Ride, raising money for Canadian veterans. We established our Tilray Bridge Program, in which veterans can place orders without cost while waiting approval for coverage from Veterans Affairs Canada. 

• We support educational events, such as the Medical Cannabis Conference in Nanaimo, B.C., in 2019 that catered to older patients. We also support symposiums and conferences for patient groups and health-care providers.

20. Tell us about any work you have done to help patients on the advocacy front.

In addition to our support of John Howard Society and Defy Ventures on cannabis amnesty, we supported the Don’t Tax Medicine campaign with CFAMM. In addition, we lobby the federal government for removal of tax on medical cannabis and advocate for fair, safe and reasonable access to medical cannabis products through insurance coverage and access in pharmacies.

We also provide educational materials and programs for physicians to ensure they are comfortable prescribing medical cannabis.

We created an award-winning educational campaign, called Cannabis Medicine, which provides an information hub for patients and health-care providers to access the latest information and research on medical cannabis. 

We established two advisory boards: Tilray Medical Advisory Board, which includes a group of internationally recognized researchers and physicians committed to facilitating ground-breaking advancements in cannabinoid science, and the Tilray International Advisory Board, made up of business and government leaders who provide guidance to our executive team and board of directors on growing medical cannabis globally.

21. Are there any specific stories you can share (no names needed) about patients your organization has made a difference to? 

Tilray provides compassionate pricing on our 2:100 CBD Oil for families of children with Dravet Syndrome or other hard-to-treat epilepsy. 

In multiple countries, Tilray has exported medical cannabis to patients on a compassionate, special access basis when they weren’t able to benefit from traditional medicines and couldn’t legally access medical cannabis domestically.

22. How do you support (or plan on supporting) issues of affordability, and access within your own business practices?

Tilray works with regulators and governments around the world, urging them to recognize medical cannabis the same as other pharmaceutical medications: tax-free. Tilray is actively working to remove sales and excise taxes on medical cannabis by testifying before the Canadian House of Commons, the Senate, and partnering with Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana in support of a patient-led campaign and petition to end taxation. 

23. What else would you like to share with the Shoppers community?

Tilray’s team of world-leading industry experts including PhD scientists, master horticulturalists, patient advocates, former law enforcement officers, and international regulatory and compliance specialists provides the expertise to pioneer global cannabis markets. What we do in Canada will form the template for the rest of the world to regard cannabis as a mainstream medicine for mainstream patients.