As voters get ready to weigh up candidates’ pros and cons, they will no doubt be examining their claimed business acumen. Tunbridge Wells’ Tory candidate, Neil Mahapatra, says on his resume that he is a “successful businessman, seasoned campaigner and long-standing party supporter.” What it makes no allusion to is the kushy nature of his business career…

A biological sciences graduate, Mahapatra founded Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies, a biopharmaceutical honourably committed to developing cannabinoid medicines, especially in the UK. Rapper Snoop Dogg is puffing along with a 3.2% stake in the venture. In 2021 Mahapatra was forced to stand down as Executive Chairman of the company following his selling of locked-in shares during its relatively short-lived listing on the London Stock Exchange. The high-flying firm delisted last month…

Cannabis crackdowns have dogged Mahapatra’s company and it blames its failure in the UK on market “turbulence“. A Labour source tells Guido: “This is an evergreen tale – the Conservatives’ campaign continues to go to pot. The people of Tunbridge Wells deserve better than a cannabis magnate to represent them in Parliament.” A few more marijuana magnates in the Commons and Brits might get the chance to start puffing what they damn well please…