Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
When Vernon Devam looks at his empty Edmonton warehouse, he envisions a "perpetual garden."
In one room, marijuana seeds and plant cuttings will develop roots in custom-built aeroponic trays. They'll then move to the "vegetation room," where hundreds of plants will grow under 1,000-watt lamps. From there, they'll mature in "bloom rooms," where plants will reach the 12-foot ceilings.
Devam's warehouse is ready to grow marijuana for medical purposes. But currently, there's not a green plant in sight.
After a year-and-a-half of planning and $1 million in investment, Devam says he is ready to "turn the lights on" at the 10,000-square-foot facility. He just needs Health Canada's approval. It's an expensive waiting game as tens of thousands of dollars' worth of equipment sits unused.
"It's a new program where maybe they jumped the gun, where they let applications in before they were settled on actual requirements," Devam said Friday. "They're asking old applicants to upgrade to new standards ... There's a lot more unexpected work."
A medical marijuana growing facility needs a series of federal approvals, including the "ready-to-build" letter. Operators must then build their facilities and have them inspected before they can start growing as federally licensed producers.
Last week, Health Canada granted the first such licence in Alberta to a facility near Cremona, north of Calgary. It's one of 25 such mega-operations in Canada.
Last year, the government revamped medical marijuana production rules, with a new focus on large-scale commercial operations.
Since the overhaul, 1,224 people have applied for a licence, but the vast majority have been either refused or withdrawn. Devam is one of 320 applicants awaiting final approval.
It's an extensive process that requires applicants receive security clearance and have their facilities inspected for proper security, ventilation and production systems.
Devam used to grow marijuana under the old system, cultivating nine plants in his basement for two patients.
"Instead of renting to tenants, I rented to plants. They didn't complain much," he said.
Devam used what he learned from that experience to develop his warehouse operation. He spent five years developing a grow cube that allows him to grow the plants in an aeroponic environment, which minimizes water spillage and waste that can lead to cross-contamination or mould growth.
When the warehouse is fully built, Devam thinks he can produce 1,000 kilograms of medical-grade marijuana each year. It would be one of the smaller facilities under Canada's new rules.
Devam said he received his "ready-to-build" letter in November 2013, so with the help of investors, he went ahead. In recent months, his only correspondence with Health Canada has been through form letters that tell him he must wait for security clearance.
Other producers in Canada have also complained about delays for federal approval.
"The time it takes to move through each step (in the application) is dependent on a number of factors, such as the completeness of the information provided by the applicant, or the amount of work the applicant must undertake to implement the appropriate security measures prior to the pre-licensing inspection," Health Canada spokesman Sean Upton told Postmedia News last month.
For Devam, the wait for approval is starting to make him anxious. If it never comes, "we lose out."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Grow lights ready to blaze at $1-million Edmonton marijuana operation
Author: Alexandra Zabjek
Contact: azabjek@edmontonjournal.com
Photo Credit: Bruce Edwards
Website: Edmonton Journal | Latest Breaking News | Business | Sports | Canada Daily News
In one room, marijuana seeds and plant cuttings will develop roots in custom-built aeroponic trays. They'll then move to the "vegetation room," where hundreds of plants will grow under 1,000-watt lamps. From there, they'll mature in "bloom rooms," where plants will reach the 12-foot ceilings.
Devam's warehouse is ready to grow marijuana for medical purposes. But currently, there's not a green plant in sight.
After a year-and-a-half of planning and $1 million in investment, Devam says he is ready to "turn the lights on" at the 10,000-square-foot facility. He just needs Health Canada's approval. It's an expensive waiting game as tens of thousands of dollars' worth of equipment sits unused.
"It's a new program where maybe they jumped the gun, where they let applications in before they were settled on actual requirements," Devam said Friday. "They're asking old applicants to upgrade to new standards ... There's a lot more unexpected work."
A medical marijuana growing facility needs a series of federal approvals, including the "ready-to-build" letter. Operators must then build their facilities and have them inspected before they can start growing as federally licensed producers.
Last week, Health Canada granted the first such licence in Alberta to a facility near Cremona, north of Calgary. It's one of 25 such mega-operations in Canada.
Last year, the government revamped medical marijuana production rules, with a new focus on large-scale commercial operations.
Since the overhaul, 1,224 people have applied for a licence, but the vast majority have been either refused or withdrawn. Devam is one of 320 applicants awaiting final approval.
It's an extensive process that requires applicants receive security clearance and have their facilities inspected for proper security, ventilation and production systems.
Devam used to grow marijuana under the old system, cultivating nine plants in his basement for two patients.
"Instead of renting to tenants, I rented to plants. They didn't complain much," he said.
Devam used what he learned from that experience to develop his warehouse operation. He spent five years developing a grow cube that allows him to grow the plants in an aeroponic environment, which minimizes water spillage and waste that can lead to cross-contamination or mould growth.
When the warehouse is fully built, Devam thinks he can produce 1,000 kilograms of medical-grade marijuana each year. It would be one of the smaller facilities under Canada's new rules.
Devam said he received his "ready-to-build" letter in November 2013, so with the help of investors, he went ahead. In recent months, his only correspondence with Health Canada has been through form letters that tell him he must wait for security clearance.
Other producers in Canada have also complained about delays for federal approval.
"The time it takes to move through each step (in the application) is dependent on a number of factors, such as the completeness of the information provided by the applicant, or the amount of work the applicant must undertake to implement the appropriate security measures prior to the pre-licensing inspection," Health Canada spokesman Sean Upton told Postmedia News last month.
For Devam, the wait for approval is starting to make him anxious. If it never comes, "we lose out."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Grow lights ready to blaze at $1-million Edmonton marijuana operation
Author: Alexandra Zabjek
Contact: azabjek@edmontonjournal.com
Photo Credit: Bruce Edwards
Website: Edmonton Journal | Latest Breaking News | Business | Sports | Canada Daily News
