The UK boasts one of the fastest-growing medical cannabis markets on the planet, and according to Prohibition Partners’ Global Cannabis Report: 5th Edition, around 60,000 patients were treated with medical cannabis in the UK throughout 2024.
However, unlike markets such as Germany, where growth has been driven by a major regulatory change, the UK’s growth is driven almost entirely by its operators and their continued commitment to innovation.
One such company, Curaleaf Laboratories, has invested significantly in the UK and its state-of-the-art facility in Sunderland, now the country’s largest medical cannabis processing site, employing around 200 staff.
Business of Cannabis was given the opportunity to explore this facility, taking a rare look behind the curtain at the technology, process and ethos of Curaleaf Laboratories.
‘Patient Obsession’
Its facility, situated near the banks of the River Wear, initially focused on creating bespoke, alternative medicines as a ‘specials’ manufacturer.
Their MHRA-approved and NHS-accredited facility manufactured and supplied a full range of unlicensed medicines across the UK, to over 3,000 NHS and private healthcare providers.
Having been a premium supplier of specials for over a decade, its founding partners, brothers Jonathan and Richard Hodgson, adapted to market changes and began focusing on the medical cannabis industry. The company was acquired by Curaleaf in 2019, before becoming the first manufacturer of full-spectrum medical cannabis in the UK.
Now Curaleaf International’s UK managing director, reflecting on the journey so far, from their humble North East beginnings to having an international, vertically integrated supply chain delivering cannabis-based medicinal products (CBPMs), Jonathan Hodgson said: “Since joining the Curaleaf International group, our journey on becoming the leader in the UK medical cannabis industry has been nothing short of incredible.
“Our UK operations, as well as our vertical supply chain and NPD function have allowed Curaleaf to widen access in the UK for both healthcare professionals and patients alike. The introduction of innovative dosage formats, brands and 3rd party distribution partnerships has continued to elevate Curaleaf into a leadership position in the UK that focuses on accelerating access.”
It’s clear that Hodgson has succeeded in instilling his passion among his ever-expanding workforce.
As we toured the various manufacturing, processing, packing and distribution areas, we were greeted with a smile by every staff member, all of whom spoke enthusiastically about their role and had a clear understanding of the company’s vision and mission.
“It’s fulfilling to come to work every day knowing that you’re helping to get this medicine to the people who really need it. It’s nice to think what we do here is having a positive impact on their quality of life,” one staff member told us as they oversaw the packing of dried medical cannabis flower into 10-gram pouches.
This mission, we’re told, is primarily to widen patient access in the UK and Europe, not just by providing a diverse range of products that can potentially help patients but also an effective roster enabling prescribing doctors to make the best clinical decisions possible.
As such, while on-site in Sunderland, Curaleaf’s R&D/NPD teams were testing out new formulations and flavours of its market-leading pastilles.
The abundance of test trays of pastilles pointed to a relentless pursuit of excellence, with only the very best making it through development, in what the company described as a ‘patient obsession.’
Investing in Innovation
Curaleaf Pharmacy, also based at the Sunderland site, dispenses more medical cannabis prescriptions than any other pharmacy in the UK, and now serves multiple third-party clinics.
This pursuit of excellence is bolstered by a continued focus on and investment in technology and innovation, embodied by a 4m tall and 11m long automated prescription dispensing system. Effectively a giant robot purpose-built to ensure patients receive their prescriptions as quickly as possible.
Adam Foster, superintendent pharmacist & head of pharmacy operations for Curaleaf Pharmacy, tells us his team are now dispensing 1000 or more prescriptions every single day for patients across the UK: a number that is set to increase significantly when its automated dispensing machine is fully operational.
He told Business of Cannabis: “At the heart of all of our operational and technological advancements , we have a patient-centric team that pride themselves on delivering a best-in-class dispensing service.
“The increase in our operational capacity enables us to manage more patients and more prescriptions on a daily basis. As well as this, our diverse product formulary has also resulted in more 3rd party private clinics sending their patients to Curaleaf Pharmacy, which we are extremely keen to continue improving upon.”
As well as providing its own range of medical cannabis products, Curaleaf Laboratories works with a number of businesses that share the same vision and benefit from the company’s ability to import bulk raw material and deliver a best-in-class manufacturing and distribution model.
The company’s product portfolio goes beyond traditional offerings, introducing advanced delivery systems with a view to opening the door for as many new patient demographics as possible.
As Curaleaf Laboratories looks to the future, it plans to continue expanding its technological capabilities, rolling out new products, and further refining its operations, with a driving focus on contributing to accelerated growth of the wider industry and improving patient access.
