Robert Celt
New Member
The burning debate over legalizing marijuana was on full display last week. HBO's Real Time host Bill Maher sparked up a joint on TV, blowing smoke in the face of lawmakers and challenging them to come to their senses.
Here in Canada, Bill Blair, Toronto's former top cop, has been put in charge of the pot portfolio. Blair has repeated, in multiple interviews, that while he supports legalization, the emphasis will be on "control" and "strict regulation" – something the current marijuana industry knows all too well.
I decided to strap on a lab coat and hairnet to obtain an inside look at one of Canada's fastest-growing industries: The bud business.
Pulling up to the front gates of Aphria Inc. (LP), one of Canada's leading medical marijuana producers, it looked like any other greenhouse in the Leamington, Ont., area, aside from the barbwire-lined fences. Leamington may be the "Tomato Capital of Canada," but this new crop of farming is surely a sign of change to come.
When I walked through the front door, the aroma alerted my nose as to what was growing behind the walls. At times, the scent of weed was overpowering and at other points, pleasantly fragrant.
Once I passed through a multitude of security checkpoints and entered the growing room, I became keenly aware of the hi-def cameras following my every move. A sprawling half acre of medical cannabis plants and state-of-the-art man-made ecosystem is laid out as far as the eye can see. They use the power of natural sunlight combined with climate control systems to produce different strains and potency of medicine.
It is the kind of room an avid pot-smoking teen dreams of being trapped in for weeks. However, this isn't recreational product, at least not yet.
Aphria now supplies close to 3,800 patients whose ailments range from chronic pain to various mental health issues. The focus is not on providing bud for a stereotypical pothead – far from it. Instead, the company produces its crop for patients who are, for example, 50 to 60 years old and going through cancer treatment.
This concentrated focus on helping those in pain doesn't come without challenges. There is not much that companies like Aphria can do without the blessing of a slow-moving government approval process. In fact, there are dedicated waste bins inside the greenhouse where any bud that happens to fall on the ground must be weighed and counted for Health Canada's records.
The regulations aren't a complete buzz kill, though. Aphria is growing quickly. The company expanded its already large 22,000-square-foot facility, creating a full acre of plant growth space. In this new area, they've added an oil extraction room, which is a pivotal next step in getting reluctant doctors on board with prescribing marijuana oil as opposed to the bud itself.
No matter what the Liberal government decides – or how slowly the feds drag their feet on the issue – those in the private sector seem to be putting into practice a successful template and by doing so have set the bar ... high.
Medical marijuana by the numbers:
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Canada: Inside Look At A Medical Marijuana Producer
Author: Ryan Doyle
Contact: Toronto Sun
Photo Credit: Dan Janisse
Website: Toronto Sun
Here in Canada, Bill Blair, Toronto's former top cop, has been put in charge of the pot portfolio. Blair has repeated, in multiple interviews, that while he supports legalization, the emphasis will be on "control" and "strict regulation" – something the current marijuana industry knows all too well.
I decided to strap on a lab coat and hairnet to obtain an inside look at one of Canada's fastest-growing industries: The bud business.
Pulling up to the front gates of Aphria Inc. (LP), one of Canada's leading medical marijuana producers, it looked like any other greenhouse in the Leamington, Ont., area, aside from the barbwire-lined fences. Leamington may be the "Tomato Capital of Canada," but this new crop of farming is surely a sign of change to come.
When I walked through the front door, the aroma alerted my nose as to what was growing behind the walls. At times, the scent of weed was overpowering and at other points, pleasantly fragrant.
Once I passed through a multitude of security checkpoints and entered the growing room, I became keenly aware of the hi-def cameras following my every move. A sprawling half acre of medical cannabis plants and state-of-the-art man-made ecosystem is laid out as far as the eye can see. They use the power of natural sunlight combined with climate control systems to produce different strains and potency of medicine.
It is the kind of room an avid pot-smoking teen dreams of being trapped in for weeks. However, this isn't recreational product, at least not yet.
Aphria now supplies close to 3,800 patients whose ailments range from chronic pain to various mental health issues. The focus is not on providing bud for a stereotypical pothead – far from it. Instead, the company produces its crop for patients who are, for example, 50 to 60 years old and going through cancer treatment.
This concentrated focus on helping those in pain doesn't come without challenges. There is not much that companies like Aphria can do without the blessing of a slow-moving government approval process. In fact, there are dedicated waste bins inside the greenhouse where any bud that happens to fall on the ground must be weighed and counted for Health Canada's records.
The regulations aren't a complete buzz kill, though. Aphria is growing quickly. The company expanded its already large 22,000-square-foot facility, creating a full acre of plant growth space. In this new area, they've added an oil extraction room, which is a pivotal next step in getting reluctant doctors on board with prescribing marijuana oil as opposed to the bud itself.
No matter what the Liberal government decides – or how slowly the feds drag their feet on the issue – those in the private sector seem to be putting into practice a successful template and by doing so have set the bar ... high.
Medical marijuana by the numbers:
- 29 – Number of licensed Medical Marijuana producers.
- 477 – Number of authorized users in 2002.
- 40,000 – People in Canada who are authorized to possess medical cannabis.
- 400,000 – Number of licensed registered users in 2022, according to Health Canada estimates.
- 1,400 – Kilos of medical marijuana that were sold in Canada from January to October in 2014.
- $8-$10 – The average cost of a gram of medical marijuana.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Canada: Inside Look At A Medical Marijuana Producer
Author: Ryan Doyle
Contact: Toronto Sun
Photo Credit: Dan Janisse
Website: Toronto Sun