Welcome to Weed Island

But Tan, the CEO and director of medical cannabis manufacturer Northern Leaf, knows them intimately. “These plants are all different,” he says, stopping next to a mature Carbon Fibre specimen. “Just like humans.”

Northern Leaf is one of the largest licensed medical marijuana producers in Europe. Its 100,000-square-foot growing facility is based in Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, located between England and France. Previously, this greenhouse was home to Jersey tomatoes, once a famed crop on the island that came close to extinction, thanks to growing fuel costs and cheaper competition from overseas. Now, it is fitted out with all of the technology required for cultivating cannabis that meets strict regulations for medical use, which include: automated irrigation, environmental monitoring, and air purification.