One of Brewdog's founders is pointing to the national domain with a new business, planning to invest £ 20 million in its new medical cannabis company.
Martin Dickie, who founded the alcohol and bars firm with James Watt almost 20 years ago, now directs Waterside Pharmaceuticals.
The Interior Ministry granted a license last year to cultivate medicinal cannabis, and the company described its configuration as a vertical farm led by technology, with controlled environments and sustainable operations.
The first harvest is expected from a farm near Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, ceda to 9 kg of medical cannabis. However, the plans are to expand that to 200 kg this year, with ambitions to climb continuously and grow the business in the coming years.
“Our goal is to become the leader of the United Kingdom market in medical cannabis,” Dickie said. “We have ambitious plans to expand the business, creating up to 100 new jobs in the local economy and investing around £ 20 million in the next five years.
“Our longest ambitions involve building a second installation located with a renewable energy source, minimizing our environmental impact, creating jobs and diversifying the rural economy.”
Doctors in the United Kingdom have been allowed to prescribe cannabis -based medications since 2018, for some conditions. The company estimates that from 50,000 to 60,000 patients benefit from them, with the number that grows annually.
The plants in the controlled environment are subject to 12 hours of artificial light and 12 hours of darkness for optimal growth. Waterside plans to open a second long -term installation.
The director of Operations Morag Thomas, who also worked previously in Brewdog, said that Waterside had a “premium product” partly through the use of pesticides and fungicides, the Times reported.
According to reports, Dickie retains the property of about 20 percent of Brewdog. Waterside did not respond to a request for comments on the expansion plans and the challenges of the industry.
