Budding producer: medical marijuana puts finishing touches on production plant.

AuthorRoss, Ian
PositionTEMISKAMING & REGION

A budding northeastern Ontario medical marijuana producer was expecting to finish the conversion of a nursery into a legitimate grow-op in March.

Dr. Barry Kurtzer, CEO of DelShen Therapeutics, said his company was edging closer to completing the retrofit of a former government facility, outside Kirkland Lake, in preparation to notify Heath Canada auditors to inspect their renovations.

The company is spending millions on a 40,000-square-foot nursery in the village of Swastika. The facility must meet Health Canada specifications and requirements as listed in the Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR).

"We've been working on the construction for some time. We didn't want to invite Health Canada in until we met all the criteria for obtaining a licence based on the construction and security of the facility.

"We're just in the final stages of where we've gone through our own inspections to make sure we're satisfied so that we can present well to Health Canada. "

Kurtzer explained it's a rigorous, two-stage approvals process towards eventual licensing.

Once the audit is complete, Health Canada will make recommendations that will, hopefully, put the company in the position to start growing and harvesting product.

A second inspection will then take place to assess the product's quality that, if satisfactory, will put them on the road to receiving a licence to sell and distribute product.

He declined to get into specifics on the level of security at the facility other than to say it will be fenced-in, with a screening process for employee access. The finished product will be stored in, what is essentially, a bank vault to ensure protection.

The facility is compartmentalized to accommodate the different stages in the growth cycle from seedlings to mature plants. The production process includes a drying operation and packaging line.

DelShen had previously stated plans to invest $18 million over three phases of the project's development and create somewhere between 30 and 100 direct jobs.

The company's first-year plan is to produce 500 pounds per month. Decisions on ramping up production will depend on marketplace demand.

"We will be constantly reviewing the business plan to determine when it's appropriate to go to the next stage," said Kurtzer.

Even if the conditions meet the government's approval, he couldn't approximate when Health Canada would grant...

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