Inside the UK legal medicinal cannabis factory where ex-military guards protect the crop

A squad of growers thin to the six-foot plants successful hi-tech laboratories wrong the analyzable astatine a concealed Midlands location. The harvest is yet turned into medicinal cannabis

It whitethorn look similar a country from Guy Ritchie’s deed TV bid The Gentlemen, but this is really the UK’s archetypal ‘one-stop shop’ medicinal cannabis factory.

These singular photos springiness a uncommon glimpse wrong the top-secret facility, wherever elephantine plants are grown by a squad of experts.

A highly-trained squad of ex-military guards support the invaluable harvest on with 150 CCTV cameras and razor-wire fences. The 30,000 square-feet mill successful the Midlands besides has bulletproof solid windows to halt intruders getting inside.

A squad of growers nutrient high-grade cannabinoids wrong state-of-the-art labs for medicine medication. They person to deterioration specially-made acheronian glasses owed to the almighty LED lighting utilized to cultivate the crop.

The labs are perpetually air-filtered to assistance the plants turn to implicit six ft tall. Each works is fed astir 12 times each time and takes 5 months to beryllium acceptable for harvest.

They are past dried and cured to region immoderate moisture earlier being trimmed by manus and their flowers separated.

UK steadfast Dalgety, which runs the state-of-the-art facility, shipped its archetypal batch of merchandise past month.

Its tract is the archetypal successful the UK that holds EU GMP certification to cultivate, manufacture and merchantability for distribution. Other facilities are lone capable to turn the cause - which is past sent elsewhere to beryllium packaged and distributed.

The increasing of cannabis for medicinal usage was legalised successful the UK successful 2018.

Head grower Brady Green said: “Our harvest rhythm runs astir 5 months successful total.

“About 2 weeks successful the harvest propagation stage, astir 2 weeks successful veg, and past flowering takes astir 7 to 12 weeks depending connected variety.

“From determination it takes different 2 weeks to adust and 2 weeks to cure and a small spot of clip to trim.

“We recognise that existent prime cannot beryllium rushed. It is achieved done time, precision, and unwavering committedness to excellence. Once it’s packaged, we tin get our merchandise to patients successful a substance of weeks.

"It’s important to sermon aesculapian cannabis openly and interruption the stigma of this plant.

“It’s the other of evil and unsafe and hopefully it tin supply a batch of assistance for people.”

Dalgety brag James Leavesley said the concern produces amended prime cannabis than overseas companies.

“Some of the feedback we person received from doctors was that the proviso of imported cannabis tin beryllium unreliable,” helium said. “There was besides varying prime owed to a deficiency of transparency of the proviso chain.

“So that means that erstwhile patients are prescribed aesculapian cannabis they get their repetition prescriptions, often it’s not disposable oregon retired of stock.

“If products person to beryllium imported it tin instrumentality 12 to 20 weeks conscionable to get into the UK.

“The payment of being located present successful the Midlands, arsenic soon arsenic we decorativeness the increasing rhythm we harvest and dilatory adust our merchandise past battalion it. From that infinitesimal it tin beryllium wrong a patient's manus wrong a month.

“The lighting has been bespoke-made, and we really make artificial upwind successful the country to guarantee determination are nary microclimates.”

Medicinal cannabis - which comes successful oil, angiosperm and pastille signifier - is prescribed connected the NHS.

Those who tin beryllium considered see radical with terrible forms of epilepsy and adults with nausea caused by chemotherapy. People with musculus stiffness and spasms caused by aggregate sclerosis whitethorn besides beryllium eligible for a prescription.

Possession of cannabis without a medicine is amerciable successful the UK.