Inside Sunderland’s medical cannabis boom

Back in Sunderland, the production lines rumble away as the end product is packaged up, ready to be sent to clients.

The company, Curaleaf UK, says its exports of medical cannabis trebled in the last year, with 200kg (441lb) now arriving at the site each month.

One in 25 of its 16,000 clients live in the region, with chronic pain being the most common reason for prescription.

Jonathan Hodgson, managing director, says the industry’s growth is expected to continue.

“It’s sometimes difficult to get the total picture in a new industry but most people agree it’s growing every month,” he says.

“All we know for a fact is what we’re producing – and we deliver cannabis to other clinics as well.

“It grows by hundreds and hundreds every month.”

Other businesses have previously told the BBC they have seen growth.

Mamedica, a medical cannabis clinic based in London, said it had seen the number of clients increase by more than 10 times in 2023, rising from 250 to 2,750.