Medical marijuana company True Leaf broke ground on a production facility in Lumby on Friday.
The 25,000-square-foot facility will include a hydroponic grow area expected to produce 2,500 kilograms of dried medical marijuana each year.
The business hopes to be federally licensed to sell their product online by early 2019 and has plans to initially hire 30 people.
It’s welcomed news for Lumby’s mayor, who hopes the medical marijuana production will help diversify the local economy.
Kevin Acton said with changes in the forestry industry over the years, a lot of mills and forest revenue have left the community.
“We’ve sort of been slowly replacing some of the forest industry stuff with other economy. Hopefully we will be able to withstand sways in the market a little bit better than just basing your entire industrial park on one economy,” Acton said.
Acton hopes True Leaf will bolster Lumby’s limited tax base and provide employment.
“I’m really excited to see how this unfolds,” Acton said.
Watch Below: Former B.C. Premier Mike Harcourt chairs True Leaf. He was on hand for the groundbreaking and shared his views on Canada’s drug laws past and present, and the role of marijuana in B.C.’s economy.
READ MORE: https://globalnews.ca/news/4059695/lumby-hopes-marijuana-will-help-diversify-local-economy/