You may not have heard of Nevski Exotics yet – the company was launched in late 2024 – but this brand, along with its THC-A extracts, has the potential to write headlines.
On a family holiday to Orlando, Florida, founder James Nevitt noticed a dispensary close to his hotel. While cannabis retail in America might not sound surprising, Nevitt was taken aback. Florida remains one of the few states where cannabis remains illegal. Yet here was a shop somehow selling weed.
“This was the catalyst,” Nevitt says. “It made me start to question our own legal system and wonder what might be possible.”
The smoke shop that provided this lightbulb moment was able to operate thanks to the Farm Bill – a piece of legislation that separates hemp and hemp-derived products from cannabis in the US, providing they contain less than 0.3% THC. Thanks to the Farm Bill, states that haven’t yet caught up with America’s green wave can still sell hemp-derived products to discerning stoners, and many of them are rich in the natural precursor to THC: 2-carboxyl ∆9-THC, also known as THC-A.
Nevitt is no stranger to cannabis, having advocated for legal reform in the UK as long as he has been a consumer. In 2017, he launched a cannabis related YouTube channel, exploring the culture. It was from this platform, inspired by the Farm Bill, that he would launch his bold idea.
“As an isolated substance, in its pure form, THC-A would not be controlled under the [Misuse of Drugs Act] 1971,”
“I found that in the UK, if a product contains less than 0.2% THC, is not directly marketed for human consumption and contains no plant materials, then it can be sold in the same category as cannabis seeds,” he says while explaining how Nevski Exotics came to fruition.
Indeed, Nevitt may well be onto something. Home Office guidance explicitly states that “as an isolated substance, in its pure form, THC-A would not be controlled under the [Misuse of Drugs Act] 1971,” – providing THC-A isn’t heated and doesn’t degrade naturally to Δ9-THC, which is a Class B substance, it isn’t considered a drug. It’s this loophole which makes him certain his extracts are legal to sell.
“As it stands right now, these products are legal for anybody within the UK to purchase. It is, however, NOT legal to consume these products as applying heat will cause the extremely high THC-A levels to instantly convert to THC,” he says with a confident wink.
Nevkski Exotics sources their products from the cannabis hotspot of California, where the source plants are grown, harvested and turned into product to be shipped to the UK. “We have partnered with an industry-leading firm that primarily focuses on CO2, supercritical cannabis extraction,” Nevitt tells us when we quiz him about the manufacturing process.
“Strains are grown in-house before being harvested and turned into our extracts. CO2, when under the correct pressure and temperature, can hold the properties of both a liquid and a gas. Whilst this process is expensive, it means that no residual solvents are left behind, leading to pure extracts retaining all of their strain-specific terpenes. This is what really sets us apart.”
The brand isn’t just focused on selling extracts for novelty purposes; the website and products all shine a light on the UK’s failing cannabis prohibition, pointing consumers to petitions and information to help them take action.
“We aim to legalise cannabis by changing the narrative that reform ‘can not’ or ‘will not’ be done,” Nevitt says.” We have entered the cannabis space with a product we feel is revolutionary, we have raised signatures through QR codes, and we are building a thriving community to prove that action happens when we work with our governments and not against them.
“My aim is to elevate the conversation around cannabis legalisation and prove that change is possible.”
It’s a bold and brave mission based on a legal grey area that might just be crazy enough to hold up. It’s clear to see, when viewing his YouTube channel, that the Nevski Exotics founder is genuinely passionate about his cause. He confidently insists that he will legalise cannabis in the UK – and many followers back him to get the job done. As with all interviews, leafie asks Nevitt what the future holds for him and the brand.
“We have some extremely ambitious ideas. It all starts with a vision. Today’s small business owner could be tomorrow’s Prime Minister.”
A headline in the making on its own.
