Glass Pharms is a British medical cannabis cultivation company. Incorporated in November 2020, it produces cannabis flower intended for the manufacture of cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs) in the UK, following the change in UK law in 2018 that enabled specialist doctors to prescribe such products.[1][2][3] In June 2024, national reporting described the first supply of UK-grown medical cannabis flower to patients via the private clinic Releaf.[4]
The company operates a greenhouse facility in Wiltshire that sources power and heat from a neighbouring anaerobic digestion plant as part of a low-carbon cultivation model; media coverage has highlighted the potential for domestic production to reduce reliance on imports, as well as the regulatory and operational challenges facing new UK producers.[5][6]
History
Glass Pharms Ltd was incorporated on 27 November 2020 in London.[7] In 2021 the company announced financing to develop a dedicated medical cannabis cultivation facility,[8] and in 2022 local media reported it had secured over £25 million to build a large greenhouse to supply the UK prescription market.[9]
Dr Andrew Murrison MP visit to Glass Pharms
In 2023, the company marked site completion with a visit from Andrew Murrison, the local Member of Parliament; Murrison was among the physician-MPs who publicly supported changes to the law on medicinal cannabis in 2018.[10][11]
In February 2024, The Guardian profiled the company’s low-carbon cultivation model, reporting that its Wiltshire facility sources electricity and heat from a neighbouring anaerobic digestion plant and aims to capture CO₂ in future.[12]
In 2023, Glass Pharms and other stakeholders funded a health-economic analysis on NHS prescribing of medical cannabis for chronic pain; the analysis was commissioned by the Cannabis Industry Council and Drug Science, with health-economic modelling conducted by the York Health Economics Consortium (YHEC) at the University of York. The study was published in October 2024 and suggested potential NHS savings of up to ~£4billion per year under certain assumptions.[13][14]
The company operates a greenhouse complex in Wiltshire designed for the continuous cultivation of medical cannabis. Coverage has highlighted a two-hectare glasshouse supported by service buildings, with power and heat supplied from a neighbouring anaerobic digestion plant that processes food waste; carbon dioxide from the process is recycled into the growing environment. Reported features include rainwater harvesting, air recirculation, and a vertical airflow regime intended to reduce microclimates and mould risk.[16][17][18][19]
In October 2024, reporting associated with a supply agreement between Glass Pharms and the private clinic Releaf stated that the facility’s annual production capacity was estimated to exceed 1,700 kg of medical cannabis flower.[20] Media coverage has described the site as among the first large-scale medical cannabis greenhouses in the UK, noting sustainability-focused design features intended to reduce reliance on imported product.[21]
Media coverage
Glass Pharms has been the subject of national and international media coverage since its licensing and facility development. The Guardian emphasised its sustainability model, describing it as “a greener weed” and one of the UK’s first carbon-neutral cannabis producers.[22]The Times highlighted the company’s role in supplying cannabis flower directly to patients through private clinics, calling it a “British first.”[23]
CNBC reported in April 2024 that the firm claimed to be the world’s first to cultivate cannabis in a carbon-negative way, citing its use of renewable energy, rainwater harvesting, and airflow management.[24] BBC News has also covered the project, focusing on its use of food waste to power the greenhouse.[25]
In March 2025, BBC Radio 4’s On Your Farm broadcast an episode from the facility, presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Rebecca Rooney, which examined its cultivation methods and low-carbon design.[26]
Commentary across these outlets has linked the project to wider debates about the UK’s reliance on imported cannabis-based medicines, with some reports noting regulatory uncertainty and the slow pace of patient access through the National Health Service.[27][28]
Medical Cannabis Flower
Products and distribution
Glass Pharms produces cannabis flower in the United Kingdom for supply to licensed third parties in the manufacture of cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs).[29]
The company is a member of the Cannabis Industry Council.[30]
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