Government approved cannabis facility expected to break ground soon in Lumby
VERNON - A medical marijuana company has the green light from Health Canada to build a large-scale production facility in the North Okanagan.
True Leaf Medicine International Ltd. has completed the security clearance stage of the government’s application process, and now has permission to start building, according to a release from the company.
The facility is expected to be built on a 40-acre property in Lumby. True Leaf exercised its option to purchase the land on Dec. 22 at a cost of $3.3 million. True Leaf says it now has 30 days from that date to complete the purchase.
READ MORE: Medical marijuana company expects to become 'significant employer' in Lumby
True Leaf plans to demolish an existing building to make way for phase one, the construction of a 16,000 square foot hydroponic grow building and a 9,000 square foot building housing offices, extraction facility, laboratory and packaging areas, according to the release.
The company expects site and foundation work to begin in the coming weeks to be completed by summer 2018.
True Leaf anticipates that the first phase of the build will include annual production of 2,500 kilograms of dried cannabis once the facility passes Health Canada’s inspection and the company becomes a licensed producer. True Leaf does not currently have a license to produce cannabis.
The federal government is working on legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes by July 2018.
True Leaf was founded in 2013 and is chaired by former B.C. Premier Mike Harcourt.
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