If everything goes according to plan Corner Brook will soon see a medical marijuana production facility.
BeeHighve Inc. announced its plan to become a licensed producer of medical marijuana in a press release Friday.
Rita Hall, an aboriginal woman who was born and raised in Corner Brook, is the president and CEO of BeeHighve. She also owns Turtle Technologies, an Ottawa-based company that provides technology resources and solutions to private and public sector organizations.
BeeHighve is working in conjunction with professional cannabis consultants, Pipe Dreemz Inc., on the project and has already submitted an application, and received a file number, to become a licensed producer of medical marijuana in Newfoundland and Labrador under Health Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations.
According to the release, if Health Canada grants the application Hall will become the first aboriginal woman to gain status as a licensed producer in the country.
She said BeeHighve’s growing capacity will initially be 20,000 square feet on 5.5 acres of land in the city.
The press release does not provide a location for the facility, but Turtle Technologies was recently reported to have purchased the former NL West SPCA location on the north shore highway. Turtle Technologies already has an office in the city.
The company also has plans for an additional expansion of 30,000 square feet on the east coast. Hall anticipates almost 100 jobs coming from the company’s initiatives.
The company is engaging local engineers, architects and construction teams to help get through the construction process. And Pipe Dreemz will continue to work along side of BeeHighve’s team during the process.
Hall said the company’s main focus will be on producing products that have a high CBD (cannabidiol) content – which is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid compound, so people with health issues, that can best be served by marijuana, can take it without the worry of getting high.
Hall is also planning to develop THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) strains for recreational purposes and said everything produced will be medical grade.
The company will also produce local honey products, something that Hall has been interested in doing because Newfoundland has the only bees in the country that are free of Varroa mites and therefore are antibiotic free.
***This article was edited to correct the name of BeeHighve***
