Moncton medical marijuana operation gearing up for business

CTV Atlantic: Medical marijuana farm gears up A facility that will grow medical marijuana is gearing up for production and at least one advocate says it's a step in the right direction.

After months of working on an intense, detailed application process, a Moncton business is set to have a medicinal marijuana production plant in full operation by the spring.

Jim Laffoley runs the company. He says the rules surrounding medical marijuana production will change on April 1.

“So you will no longer be allowed to grow for yourself or to grow on behalf of someone else under licence from Health Canada,” says Laffoley.

“All of those activities are being taken out of the hands of the individuals and put into the hands of licensed, commercial growers.”

The Moncton location has been secured and Laffoley’s application has been approved, making it the only government-approved medicinal marijuana operation in the Maritimes.

Laffoley says the approval process was intense and expensive.

“To put a facility in place that is going to comply with all of the security and quality assurance regulations and good manufacturing practices,” he says.

Chris Harrigan, an independent film producer and an advocate for fully legalized cannabis, says he would prefer no government involvement at all.

“If you’d have asked me this a couple of years ago, I may have had a different opinion, but now that I have seen this is something you can easily grow in your own home or in your backyard, I just don’t see any reason why the government should be involved,” says Harrigan.

Laffoley’s operation will grow four types of marijuana, to address different medical needs, such as pain management, appetite control and compassionate end of life treatment. He says his facility is not a retail outlet, however.

With a relatively new business model, Laffoley says the risks are well beyond a typical startup, and so are the potential rewards.

With files from CTV Atlantic's David Bell