[PRESS RELEASE] – LONG BEACH, Calif., and TORONTO, April 9, 2025 – Glass House Brands Inc., one of the fastest-growing, vertically integrated cannabis companies in the U.S., announced a collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley, to explore hemp-related research, including novel medicinal product development, identification and improvement of hemp genetics, market analysis, supply chain sustainability and AI automation for cultivation and production.
In addition, the collaboration aims to evaluate data-driven and evidence-based approaches to hemp policy and regulation, with the aim of reducing uncertainty for California hemp growers. This collaboration will explore potential drug development research opportunities targeting coronaviruses, pain, sleep, inflammation and cirrhosis.
In 2024, Glass House obtained a hemp license and has been actively growing and testing hemp on an R&D basis. Within the Company’s dedicated hemp R&D greenhouse, Glass House can produce up to 240,000 pounds of biomass annually.
“We are excited to work with UC Berkeley as we continue to evaluate our long-term hemp strategy,” Glass House Brands co-founder, Chairman and CEO Kyle Kazan said. “This is the first collaboration of its kind in this industry, and Berkeley has a successful history of assisting industry stakeholders to find innovative and sustainable solutions to environmental issues. We are confident that through this agreement, we will be better positioned to navigate the local and national legislative uncertainty for the hemp industry as we prepare to scale the business into the future.
“Furthermore, we appreciate that the premier public university in California is supporting this sector of the agricultural industry, which is substantial in our state. We have the capacity to be one of the largest hemp cultivators in the United States, so we are excited to explore the potential benefits of this collaboration for farmers, the industry and for the state of California. We believe that the demand for hemp-derived products nationally is massive. Pending future developments with the federal Farm Bill and regulatory changes that align at the state level, we are confident that opportunities to scale to the national market will manifest.”
Orrin Devinsky, M.D., Glass House’s medical and science adviser to the board of directors and a professor of neurology, neuroscience and psychiatry, who was the lead investigator in the studies on CBD leading to FDA approval, said, “As a long-time proponent of cannabinoids for treatments, I’m excited to collaborate with the research faculty at UC Berkeley to explore the development of new treatments to improve the quality of life for many with disabling disorders.”
