As of Monday, the federal agency had only issued 12 commercial licenses — up from three in January — with more than 600 applications still awaiting processing.
Essex County’s very first commercial crop of medical marijuana is now being grown at a Leamington facility situated anonymously amidst the area’s more than 2,500 acres of greenhouses.
Not keen on divulging the exact location or size of the operation, John Cervini, one of the company’s principals, said the area’s first legal crop of cannabis, planted last week, should be ready for the market in about three months.
The company, Aphria, still doesn’t have the required Health Canada approval to sell its product commercially, but Cervini said a production licence has been granted, and all that remains in order to begin sales is completion of a secured “vault” for storage of the harvested crop.
There are at least three other local companies — one in Windsor — vying for Health Canada licenses to grow and sell medicinal marijuana commercially to approved patients.
Market Data 
Markets 
AI
