The First Authorized Medical Cannabis Cultivation in the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands have officially entered the medical marijuana with permission from the region's first certified cultivation site.

Developed by Nivaria Tech à Tenerife, the project received approval from the’Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS) and aims to position the archipelago as a future hub for the production of pharmaceutical-grade cannabis.

Located on the site of former farmland, the new facility combines cultivation, post-harvest processing, and pharmaceutical manufacturing within a single complex. According to the company, this integrated approach is designed to meet the standards of the EU GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) while improving the efficiency and quality of the products.

The natural climate offers a competitive advantage

One of the project's main strengths lies in the islands' unique environmental conditions. According to Valeriano Rodríguez, plant manager at Nivaria Tech, the local climate allows cannabis plants to benefit from natural light cycles that are difficult to replicate elsewhere.

«Other manufacturers, both in Europe and the United States, work with artificial light, whereas we will develop our active ingredients using sunlight. We hope that the chemotypes already present in the plants will be able to fully express themselves under the influence of solar light stress, rather than under artificial lighting,» explains Mr. Rodríguez.

The combination of constant sunshine, trade winds, and minimal temperature fluctuations creates conditions that are particularly favorable for outdoor cultivation. These characteristics also enable the company to achieve a rapid production cycle, with six harvests per year thanks to crop rotations every 60 days.

Technology and Traceability at the Heart of the Project

Beyond culture, Nivaria Tech has focused on technology and pharmaceutical standards. The company has developed and patented its own plant traceability software, which tracks every stage of production—from cloning to cultivation, through harvesting, packaging, and laboratory testing.

The facility also incorporates advanced contamination control systems, including hydrogen peroxide generators and cryopasteurization technology designed to eliminate bacterial contamination through cold treatment. According to the company, only three machines of this type are currently in operation throughout Europe.

Security measures are just as rigorous. The site is under constant surveillance, with armed security personnel, reinforced infrastructure, and a dedicated bunker for storing pharmaceutical materials—all of which are necessary to comply with European pharmaceutical regulations.

«Our project not only makes us the first company in the Canary Islands to obtain this application and authorization, but also positions us as a company committed to expertise, the circular economy, and the use of renewable energy for power generation (…) »We aim to produce a medication that provides the end user with an experience—not only in its use, but also in its traceability,” he explained.

A Broader Vision for the Canary Islands

The company believes it could help build a broader ecosystem pharmaceutical manufacturing in a region that currently imports medicines but has limited local production capacity. Mr. Rodríguez argues that clearer regulations and stronger institutional support could encourage other pharmaceutical manufacturers to set up operations in the archipelago.

«At the Ministry of Health level, as well as at the national level, a synergy could be created that would allow the Canary Islands to have an AEMPS delegation and an inspection service for manufacturers. »Right now, many manufacturers of active pharmaceutical ingredients are backing out because nothing is in place yet, and they don’t want to be the first to set this up. We’ve set a precedent, not only in the field of cannabis but also for all pharmaceutical products,” he argues.