Clever Leaves Holdings has exported 30 kg of high-THC cannabis flower from its Portugal facility to Biopharmaceutical Research Company (“BRC”), a DEA-licensed pharmaceutical company that develops federally compliant active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) for plant-based therapeutics in the United States. Not only does this fortify Clever Leaves’ entrance into the U.S. and solidify BRC’s ability to transact internationally, but it positions the two organizations as some of the first companies ever to commercially ship dried cannabis flower from Portugal to the U.S.
Under the agreement, Clever Leaves’ product, which meets strict pharmaceutical standards, will be used for BRC’s pharmaceutical development projects. In addition to this shipment of dried cannabis flower, BRC and Clever Leaves have built a strong partnership over the past year through their collaboration in Project Change Lives, an initiative announced earlier this year to contribute up to USD$25M in medical cannabis products to help advance scientific research in the U.S.
“As the largest cannabis market in the world, the U.S. provides a major opportunity for Clever Leaves, but I suspect there was significant skepticism as to whether a company such as Clever Leaves could find a regulatory path to enter the U.S. cannabis market in compliance with the current regulatory framework,” said Kyle Detwiler, CEO of Clever Leaves. “Exporting THC flower to a DEA-licensed company, BRC, demonstrates our ability to meet the stringent regulatory requirements in the U.S. By becoming one of the first companies to commercially export THC flower to the U.S., we are paving Clever Leaves’ path into the U.S. medical cannabis industry through a partner such as BRC. We are honored to provide BRC the high-quality product they need to advance in their research, development, and production.”
“Our partnership with Clever Leaves continues to yield exciting research opportunities that will one day make a difference in the lives of patients,” said George Hodgin, CEO of Biopharmaceutical Research Company. “Both companies share the same values when it comes to DEA compliance—we take it seriously—which is why we believe this partnership is only getting started. We are thrilled to partner with Clever Leaves once again and are eager to begin working with this premium quality product.”
Clever Leaves’ Portuguese cultivation facility is located on approximately 9 million square feet of land and consists of approximately 110,000 square feet of high technology greenhouse facilities with expansion to approximately 270,000 square feet nearly complete. The facility was granted a license from INFARMED I.P., the Portuguese regulatory authority with oversight over the pharmaceutical industry in Portugal, for importing, exporting, and cultivating cannabis. Our state-of-the-art sophisticated facilities in Portugal, which are Good Agricultural and Collecting Practice (GACP) certified, are currently operational and commercially active, with successful exports to various countries, including Australia.
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