Releaf x Glass Pharms® Ltd: A recap
On the 10th of June, we announced our supply partnership with Glass Pharms® Ltd - an arrangement that, for the first time, has seen UK patients receive high-quality UK-grown medical cannabis products.
Having struggled to keep up with patients’ needs due to an unpredictable and unreliable international supply chain, we share Glass Pharms’ mission to improve patient access to the medical cannabis products that work for them.
This unique partnership allowed us to be the first clinic in the UK to offer patients medical cannabis cultivars that were 'Made in Britain'. With significant research and development, Glass Pharms has created a range of products that are suitable for treating a wide range of symptoms, which are now available with Releaf’s plastic-free branded packaging.
Releaf & Glass Pharms: In the national news
Several news sources covered our partnership with Glass Pharms, highlighting the story of one of our patients, Chloe Durrington, who became the first patient to receive prescribed medical cannabis flower that was grown here in the UK.
As Glass Pharms’ Chief Executive, James Duckenfield, explained in The Sunday Times, Chloe, who has a medical cannabis prescription to treat Endometriosis, is the first of many patients who “will now have a security of supply that was previously missing from a market that relied on imports…
“Our continuous harvesting model will help bring an end to the out-of-stock issues that have set back the development of this promising therapeutic area.”
Chloe also explained, as reported by Farming Online, how access to UK-grown medical cannabis products will give her peace of mind moving forward with her treatment:
“From an environmental point-of-view, it feels good to know that my medication hasn’t had to travel across the globe to get to me.
“Plus, it gives me peace of mind that issues with supply, which have until now been one of the main challenges for patients like me, are far less likely if the cannabis isn’t coming from overseas.”
The new partnership was also reported by Yahoo! Finance and Business of Cannabis, who all noted Glass Pharms’ innovative and environment-focused approach to medical cannabis cultivation.
Glass Pharms’ employs AI-controlled growing conditions and laboratory facilities which take plants through a 12-week grow journey. Their state-of-the-art facilities ensure batch-to-batch consistency and adherence to the highest quality standards set by the MHRA and Home Office. Their innovative approach to cannabis cultivation also uses around 40% of the power utilised by conventional indoor growing methods has helped Glass Pharms to achieve a carbon-negative operation.
Raising awareness around medical cannabis in the UK
While medical cannabis was legalised in the UK in 2018, there remains significant stigma around the industry. This, coupled with the ongoing difficulties around promoting medical cannabis in the mainstream media, can make it extremely difficult to raise awareness and highlight the often life-changing benefits of medical cannabis.
Coverage from media outlets such as those noted in this article is crucial in an industry that remains overshadowed by stigma and prejudice. We hope that continued exposure to these stories will help to raise awareness for patients like Chloe, for whom reliable access to medical cannabis is essential.
Rupa Shah, Releaf's Compliance Director and former ASA Investigations Executive, comments:
“Navigating the stringent advertising regulations surrounding cannabis in the UK presents a significant challenge for medical cannabis clinics, despite the legalisation of medical cannabis in 2018.
“Our landmark partnership with Glass Pharms signifies a crucial step forward for Releaf, allowing us to openly discuss the industry and the benefits of medical cannabis with integrity and compliance.
“This first-of-its-kind collaboration underscores our commitment to advancing the medical cannabis industry within legal and ethical boundaries.”
Final thoughts
At Releaf, we are excited to continue our partnership with Glass Pharms to provide high-quality, UK-grown medical cannabis products to our patients. We hope the coverage of this partnership will continue to raise awareness around the important work being done in the medical cannabis industry to improve patient access to the life-changing medicines that work for them. Continued reporting on the latest news on medical cannabis will hopefully help to further diminish the stigma around this treatment and its patients.
