According to a report released in 2018 by the United Nations, Britain remains the largest producer of cannabis worldwide. It is also the largest exporter of the drug, dominating about 70% of the export market. The drug is consumed for both medicinal and recreational purposes. The plant is grown across Europe, especially by pharmaceutical companies who have invested heavily on it. Countries like Denmark, Germany, Portugal and Spain have embraced the drug for medicinal purposes. It is commonly used to treat epilepsy and a few other conditions.
From pharmaceuticals, to research facilities, companies across the UK have invested significant amounts of money to ensure a consistent supply of the produce. There is a growing demand for high quality marijuana globally.
Medicines obtained from the crop undergo a series of clinical trials before being given a go-ahead to go through the manufacturing process. Manufacturing is done in accordance with GMP standards. According to London-based analysts known as Prohibition Partners, the cannabis market in Europe is expected to be worth 106 billion Euros by 2028.Other projections published by Health Europa depicted that the global cannabis market will grow from $13.4 billion in 2018 to $148 billion in 2026.
Canadian companies own huge chunks of cannabis businesses abroad as they have invested heavily on facilities across Europe and the United Sates. Speaking of Aurora Cannabis, Aurora Nordic, Cronos Group and Canopy growth, these are companies that are based in Canada but have operations in different parts of the world. GW Pharmaceuticals is an example of a company that has erected a glasshouse that spans for 45-acres. The research facility was initially owned by British Sugar and it used to be covered by tomato plants. However, the facility is covered with cannabis plants nowadays. The crop is carefully cultivated and grown under good conditions.
The facility has around 400 professionals. There you will find teams of horticulturalists conducting labor tasks and technical staff who analyze the crops ensuring that they have the correct genetic make-up. Growing cannabis in a controlled environment allows standardization for all the crops. The crops are grown on an industrial scale. Mendelian techniques are used to grow plants that have the best characteristics. After ‘cloning’ is done, the crops are moved to the main glass house where they are provided with nutrients and water.
After the plants are provided with natural light for a few weeks, they enter a different stage in the cycle of growth. The glasshouse ceilings blind so that the cannabis plants are exposed to altered daylight lengths. This triggers flowering to happen much faster so that harvesting can take place.
The flowers contain high levels of valuable CBD. A group of around 30 to 40 seasonal workers join the staff at Wessington to aid in the harvesting process. Cannabis Sativa has varying levels of CBD and THC. Low doses assist in dealing with anxiety and stress. More people are becoming ambitious with legal cannabis projects. A project to launch a 100-hectare cannabis farm in Portugal is already underway and will take around four years before it is launched. The farm is expected to be the largest cannabis farm in the world. Despite all this, many people remain skeptical on the use of cannabis.
