Radford-born billionaire Maximillian White paving the way for major change to the cannabis industry

The UK's first cannabis billionaire is preparing to launch a new business venture and give back to his home city Nottingham. Maximillian White grew up in Radford and was once the youngest pub landlord in the nation, but over the years he has gone from being a pub landlord, to working in the music industry and creating the internationally known Blanco Beach Club, to working in app development before moving into the medical marijuana industry.

Following the tragic death of his brother Tobias White Sansom, in 2022, Maximillian has decided to focus on a new aspect on the industry and help make the trade more responsible and ethical ahead of his planned retirement next year. In June 2024, the 43-year-old will launch Dr Green, a worldwide cannabis trading network that he hopes will redefine the industry.

UK rapper Fredo is just one of many celebrities partnering with Maximillian for this venture, as well as British boxer and former celebrity SAS star Shannon Jane Courtenay, rappers Potter Payper, Mist, M Dot R, Lady Leshurr, Swarmz, and Irish UFC MMA fighter Kiefer Crosbie.

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Maximillian, who is now based in Dubai, said: "Coming from the medical background into the recreational stuff is a big decision." He explained the "show would go on" with or without him, but hopes to ensure everyone gets the best quality products and understands the legalities.

He continued: "After the death of my brother it was quite difficult to focus on business and trying to be motivated, so I had to get a new challenge which was a little bit different to take on. I want to take out the crime around the black sales of marijuana, so the youngsters of different areas, even Nottingham, are not growing up with criminal records for cannabis.

"I think we are heading in the right direction and I just want to ensure it's all done properly. I think it is a bit like prohibition in the 1920s, everyone is smoking it but it's illegal just like everyone was drinking alcohol in America in the 1920s."

Through Dr Green, Maximillian will sell digital keys that allow people access to the global marketplace with the necessary tools and knowledge to manage the market. He added: "With the launch of Dr Green as well, there are only 5,000 keys so it's going to be like a Willy Wonka's golden ticket."

To join the cannabis trade legally and get all of the relevant licensing and equipment it can take years and "tens if not hundreds of millions" so Maximillian hopes that through Dr Green he can offer people a way to join the industry for a lot less and to sell cannabis responsibly and ethically rather than going on the wrong side of the law.

His cousin and Chief Technical Officer, Ricardo Capone, explained that as part of Dr Green they have created a new innovative system which can change the industry by making the system verifiable, traceable and secure. He explained: "We have built a system which can have all of that genetic information put onto a QR code and with the information that you get, you can trace the cannabis from seed to sale."

This means a consumer can see exactly where the bud has come from, how much water was used to grow the plant, the humidity, temperature, and chemicals used. Ricardo added: "All of that information goes into the software so you get a full overview, it's the most ethical way to provide a product into the marketplace.

"The regulator has given us the opportunity to build a platform that we can prove to them works." He explained that they are "pioneering something here that could change the entire industry" and one day it could help regulators stop illegally grown weed from entering the legal market.

The cost of the digital key is expected to be in the thousands, but this is just to help cover the cost of the system itself rather than creating a profit as Dr Green has taken millions of pounds to develop. Maximillian said: "Everyone always says that I was lucky in what I did, so I want to be able to give them the same platform to achieve the success that I did in my business.

"Bigger than anything we are putting a process in place, and it was a big step for me going from medical to recreational. I felt that if I didn't address this situation before I retired then I would be doing an injustice to the cannabis industry, which has made me and my family very wealthy. I felt like it is like a debt repaid back to where I have come from."

Regarding the profits he will eventually make from the business, Maximillian said: "I do want to give a big chunk of private sales to Nottingham, especially to underprivileged areas." He explained that they want to find charities in the area to support and would like organisations interested to contact him.

He added: "I grew up in Radford so I wasn't fed with a silver spoon so to speak. We are hoping to find a decent charity in Nottingham that we can work with hand in hand and a percentage of the Dr Green profits would go to them so we can put a bit back into the community as well."

When asked if he still visits Nottingham, Maximillian said: "The last time I was back was for my brother's funeral, but I do go back as I'm a grandfather now and my daughter lives there, so I try and go back once and twice a year at minimum and do the rounds of the family. We have still got family and a lot of friends there and it is where I was born, I was born in Nottingham and I will never lose the love for Notts.

"I'm still an avid Nottingham Forest fan. After I retire in 2025, I will be looking to spend a lot more time there and get a lot more involved in the rejuvenation of Nottingham and making sure I can put as much back into it as it gave me growing up."