cannabis trades association

What cannabis trades association does

The Cannabis Trades Association (CTA) is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (legal entity: Hemp Trades Association UK Ltd, company number 10472540) that operates as the self-described "only trade body representing the international cannabis industry." Headquartered at 41 Wincolmlee, Hull, CTA serves an international membership of businesses across the legal cannabis, hemp, supplements, and CBD sectors. Its core offerings comprise government relations and policy advocacy, crisis response support, B2B networking, regulatory and compliance support (delivered via a members portal), medicinal cannabis sector representation, and media and political advocacy. CTA also operates an events platform spanning Europe and Asia and maintains a news and information hub covering ILAP licensing, FSA guidance, NHS access, and global cannabis pharma market developments.

The association's business model is membership-fee funded (subscription recurring revenue), with pricing not publicly disclosed and no equity shareholders, venture capital backing, or parent company indicated in available data. CTA reaches prospective and existing members through a multi-channel approach combining content marketing (news articles, Directors Blog), event partnerships (CTA Medical Mixer, PTMC Portugal, CB Expo Dortmund, Cultiva Hemp Expo Vienna, Cannabis Health Symposium Frankfurt, Cannafest Prague, Agential Cannabis Thailand), and an active social media presence across LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and Bluesky. The underlying technology stack is non-proprietary and the core technology field is explicitly noted as not applicable, consistent with CTA's positioning as a service- and advocacy-led organization rather than a software or platform business.

Name

cannabis trades association

Legal name

Hemp Trades Association UK Ltd

Website

https://cannabistrades.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Cannabis Trades Association is a UK-registered not-for-profit trade body that represents international hemp, cannabis, CBD, and supplements businesses through membership-funded advocacy, regulatory compliance support, B2B networking, crisis response, and policy engagement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston upon Hull

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: CTA generates revenue through membership fees from businesses in the international hemp and cannabis sectors. As a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, membership dues support the association's operations and services including government relations, compliance support, B2B networking, and industry advocacy.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cannabis Trades Association is a not-for-profit trade association that represents businesses operating in the international hemp, cannabis, CBD, and medicinal cannabis sectors. It delivers value through membership-based advocacy, government relations, crisis response, B2B networking, compliance support, and policy influence, while operating a members portal and an events platform that spans European and Asian industry expos.

Product overview

The Cannabis Trades Association (CTA) is a not-for-profit trade association representing businesses across the international hemp and cannabis sectors, operating as a member-based organization rather than a product company. The CTA functions as a unified platform providing government relations, crisis response, industry expansion, policy and legislative solutions, B2B networking, member support, media and political advocacy, and medicinal cannabis sector support services. The association also operates a compliance support function with a members portal, provides access to member services and discounts, and facilitates stakeholder representation and regulatory influence. Additional offerings include an events platform for industry networking across Europe and Asia, a news and information hub covering regulatory developments, and a Directors Blog featuring commentary on industry issues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trade Association Membership

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CTA Medical MixercoreOthersCTA organizes and hosts the Medical Mixer event, providing networking opportunities for medicinal cannabis professionals and serving as a key member engagement and acquisition touchpoint.
• PTMC - Portugal Medical CannabisminorOthersInternational event partnership promoting Portugal Medical Cannabis conference. CTA promotes this event to members as part of its global cannabis industry network.
• CB Expo - DortmundminorOthersPartnership with CB Expo in Dortmund, Germany. CTA promotes this hemp and cannabis expo to its member network.
• Cultiva Hemp Expo - ViennaminorOthersPartnership with Cultiva Hemp Expo in Vienna, Austria. CTA supports this European hemp expo through promotion to members.
• Cannafest - PragueminorOthersPartnership with Cannafest Prague, a major cannabis industry trade show. CTA promotes this event to its international membership base.
• Health for the FutureminorOthersHealth-focused event partnership. CTA engages with health sector events relevant to medicinal cannabis and CBD applications.
• Agential Cannabis - ThailandminorOthersPartnership with cannabis industry event in Thailand, supporting CTA's international reach and engagement with emerging Asian cannabis markets.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Prohibition Partners: Prohibition Partners is a UK-headquartered cannabis industry intelligence, events, and consulting firm producing the Cannabis Europa conference series and global market reports. Comparable to CTA as an ecosystem participant in the international cannabis industry with overlapping event partnerships (e.g., Lisbon, Frankfurt), though operating commercially rather than as a member-funded trade association.

Direct peers

• European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA): EIHA is the European trade association representing the hemp industry, providing EU-level policy advocacy, regulatory engagement, and member networking for hemp growers, processors, and CBD producers. Directly comparable to CTA as a hemp/CBD trade body with EU regulatory focus and international event presence.
• Cannabis Industry Council (UK): Cannabis Industry Council is a UK trade body formed to represent a broad coalition of cannabis and hemp businesses to government, paralleling CTA's UK advocacy role. Directly comparable as a domestic trade association serving overlapping UK cannabis/CBD member segments and engaging policymakers.
• National Cannabis Industry Association: NCIA is the largest US trade association for the cannabis industry, providing advocacy, policy engagement, and member networking for plant-touching and ancillary cannabis businesses. It is directly comparable to CTA as a national-level trade body performing government-relations, compliance, and B2B networking functions for cannabis-sector members.
• Hemp Industries Association: The Hemp Industries Association is a US trade association serving hemp businesses, manufacturers, and retailers, providing advocacy on hemp regulation, industry standards, and member education. Directly comparable to CTA in function (hemp trade representation) and overlapping member segments (CBD and hemp product companies).
• Cannabis Council of Canada: Cannabis Council of Canada is the national trade association representing licensed producers and cannabis businesses in Canada, providing policy advocacy and industry representation to Health Canada and federal policymakers. Directly comparable to CTA in mission (industry voice to government) and member base (legal cannabis operators).
• Medical Cannabis Industry Association (MCIA) UK: MCIA is a UK-based trade association specifically representing the medicinal cannabis sector with NHS-access and clinical-research advocacy focus. Directly comparable to CTA's medicinal cannabis subsector offering, with overlapping UK government-relations channels (FSA, NHS, DHSC).

Emerging players

• Drug Science: Drug Science is a UK-based independent scientific body providing drug-policy research and advisory work, with significant activity on cannabis and psychedelic medicines regulation. Comparable to CTA as an adjacent UK organization influencing cannabis policy and engaging FSA/NHS, but positioned as a scientific advocacy body rather than a member-funded trade association.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cannabis_trades
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCt5flkjdxvmODvx5-JBq4sw
• Facebookfacebook.com/HempTradesUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cannabis-trades-association-uk
• Instagraminstagram.com/cannabistradesuk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about cannabis trades association