Cobourg’s Cannabis Facility can now Sell Product

After some turmoil with a change of management, Cobourg’s Cannabis factory has now achieved a milestone: they can now sell their product.  FSD Pharma Inc. announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary FV Pharma Inc. has received its Sale for Medical Purposes licence to sell cannabis under the Cannabis Act (Canada). The licence went into effect on April 18, 2019.  The licence allows the current FSD facility to supply and sell cannabis products. The company anticipates receiving the amended sales licence that will include the sale of dried and fresh cannabis flower in the near future.  Dr. Raza Bokhari, Executive Co-Chairman and CEO said, “Our sales licence is a key development for FSD Pharma and a huge success and step forward for our Cobourg Facility.”

FV Pharma Facility
FV Pharma Facility

Dr. Sara May, President of FV Pharma Inc. commented that “We have achieved this milestone thanks to the efforts of our dedicated team. We are exceptionally proud of this achievement and look forward to accelerating our efforts.”

There’s no word on whether there will be sales on site at the old Certa building as was promised last year and it’s not clear whether that would even be legal.  But it is clear that marijuana product sales are in two categories: medical and recreational.  The facility in Cobourg is squarely in the medical category – no recreational sales would be made at the facility unless at some future time FSD Pharma expands their scope.

But they are planning big things and will likely become a significant employer in Cobourg.  Their press release included a statement from Zeeshan Saeed, President and Founder:

The granting of our sales licence allows FSD to serve the growing medicinal use markets in Canada. We intend to quickly scale up production at our current facility, while continuing to build out the plant to add additional grow capacity. In addition, our sales licence opens the door for our partner Canntab Therapeutics to commence sales of its suite of novel cannabis oral dose delivery platforms, including CBD and THC capsules, in Canada and global markets. We expect that this will provide an immediate benefit to both parties, since FSD is entitled to a share of Canntab’s revenue from sales as a result of the collaboration and profit sharing agreement that we entered into this past fall.

 

Links

Addendum 23 April 2019

FSD Pharma announced that they will acquire US based Prismic Pharmaceuticals. This transaction positions FSD to help contribute to addressing the opioid crisis through use of synthetic cannabinoids. The acquisition will be financed by a share exchange and is valued at $17.5M USD.

Prismic is developing novel non-addictive prescription drugs with unique safety profiles with the goal of addressing the opioid crisis based on formulations utilizing micro-palmitoylethanolamide’s (“PEA”) “entourage” effect on certain drugs impacting the endocannabinoid system.

Press Release

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Walter Luedtke
4 years ago

Keeping tabs on FV Pharma.
FSD Pharma has partnered with Aura Health to supply medical grade cannabis to Germany.

Walter Luedtke
4 years ago

Marijuana Sales in Canada Are Going Nowhere Fast
https://www.barrons.com/articles/marijuana-sales-canada-are-flat-51556038425
“Recreational pot sales in Canada haven’t exactly been red hot since the country became the first wealthy nation to legalize marijuana nationwide in October.
Government data indicate that Canada’s legal weed sales in the first two months of 2019 were flat compared with those in the first two months of 2018’s fourth quarter, analysts at BMO Capital Markets said in a new report.”

Mark
4 years ago

It took months for FV to get a licence to sell their products, who know what the stuff from the green mile is like ?

What standards is the green mile Using ?
Is Health Canada checking their producted ?

Going to the green mile is the same as going to person making there own moon shine , it could be ok, but you are taking a risk

Dan
Reply to  Mark
4 years ago

Have you…asked them about their standards? Seen their lab?

Mark
Reply to  Dan
4 years ago

I have no need for their products as I can get government regulated and test product delieve to my door if I need it.
On one of the green mile wedsite, they say they have a test machine , but no information on their standards or the standards of the personal doing the test. Is this another Walkerton waiting to happen

cornbread
4 years ago

Does this company do any PR with our local doctors??

Walter Luedtke
4 years ago

Latest FSD Pharma news:
FSD Pharma Inc. and Prismic Pharmaceuticals Inc. a US-based specialty R&D pharmaceutical company, announced today that they have entered into a securities exchange agreement dated April 22, 2019 (the “Agreement”) by which FSD Pharma has agreed to acquire all of the outstanding securities of Prismic (the “Transaction”).
Prismic is developing novel, non-addictive prescription drugs with unique safety profiles with the goal of addressing the opioid crisis.
“FSD Pharma’s vision is to transform its current headquarters in a Kraft plant in Cobourg, into the largest hydroponic indoor grow facility in the world. FSD Pharma intends to cover all aspects of this exciting new industry, including cultivation, legal, processing, manufacturing, extracts and research and development.”
Seems that reports of FSD Pharma’s imminent demise have been premature.

John Draper
Reply to  Walter Luedtke
4 years ago

See addendum above with link to full Press Release

Walter Luedtke
Reply to  John Draper
4 years ago

Thanks, John.
I missed that!

Medium Old Codger
4 years ago

A good reason to support indigenous dispensaries over corporate ones is that the local indigenous ones are providing a good service.

Medicine Wheel Natural Healing, on Highway 45 at Alderville, has been in operation for for some time. Their store is large, clean, comfortable and their staff is well spoken an knowledgable. The Medicine Wheel publishes a treatment guide which is comprehensive and gives advice about different products for different aliments. Local doctors recommend the Medicine Wheel for this advice as the documentation for various treatments is not readily available for the medical fraternity, as for many years their focus has been to decry Cannabis and certainly not to study its benefits.

More information and a copy of the treatment guide can be found medicinewheelnaturalhealing.com

Supporting local industries is always better than ones further away. The growing facility at the ex- Kraft Plant is certainly local and should be supported on that basis, but at the moment The Medicine Wheel and other facilities at Alderville offer a pleasant surprise.

Wally Keeler
Reply to  Medium Old Codger
4 years ago

Thanks for making those points.

manfred s
Reply to  Medium Old Codger
4 years ago

if today’s apparent retail trend continues, the specialized market gets the ball rolling, providing choices and product education and once the market looks for volume, the big guns, (ie Amazon), step in, using prices and maybe free shipping to grab the lion’s share. When that happens, we’ll see just how much support there really is for the “local” marketers (being referred to here as ‘indigenous’). Will that render some of these comments moot?

Medium Old Codger
Reply to  manfred s
4 years ago

Manfred
“Indigenous” does not mean “local”, it refers to Anboriginal or First Nations in this context. It happens that the First Nations Communities of Alderville and Tyendinga have developed retail outlets ahead of the rest of Ontario. They also happen to be relatively local.

manfred s
Reply to  Medium Old Codger
4 years ago

just commenting further on “A good reason to support indigenous dispensaries over corporate ones is that the local indigenous ones are providing a good service.”

t-Bone
Reply to  Medium Old Codger
4 years ago

MOC – just wondering if you can tell me where the Medicine Wheel and others along the “green mile” are procuring their product. Also wondering if you can confirm the unregulated THC/CBD numbers they report as being factual. They are a completely unregulated facility and illegal by all accounts – they are posing as legitimate. They are the best of the posers in our area. Make no mistake, if I opened the identical store offering the identical goods and services 3 km’s south, I would be shut down and arrested in hours. I’m supportive of legal medicinal and recreation cannabis. I’ve shopped at the Medicine Wheel and have recommended it. By don’t by into this idea that they are anything other than what I’ve said above….

Medium Old Codger
Reply to  t-Bone
4 years ago

I am not associated with the Medicine Wheel, so they would have to answer your origin and other questions.
The Ontario Cannabis regime allows First Nations to regulate their own outlets, so they are not “illegal”.

t-Bone
Reply to  Medium Old Codger
4 years ago

Those were somewhat rhetorical in nature…just wanting to drive home a point.

Dan
Reply to  t-Bone
4 years ago

They do in-house lab testing, and the lab and associated equipment is visible in the store while you’re in there. They absolutely are setting out to set a quality standard, and try to encourage other indigenous dispensaries to also sign on to their quality standards.

Frenchy
Reply to  Medium Old Codger
4 years ago

Do cannabis retail outlets (such as the Medicine Wheel) on the reserve collect and remit HST?

Dan
Reply to  Frenchy
4 years ago

They do not. Nor would/should they.

Dan
4 years ago

Support indigenous dispensaries over corporate ones.

Wally Keeler
Reply to  Dan
4 years ago

Why?

Dan
Reply to  Wally Keeler
4 years ago

…I’m really learning a lot of things about the social and political leanings of the commenters on this blog. It’s not a good look.

Dan
Reply to  John Draper
4 years ago

The social and political leanings of the commenters are not the commenters. Criticizing the views on display is not criticizing the people espousing those views. Remove it if you like, it’s your community.

It’s not really my responsibility to try to educate people why they should care about women’s rights, and indigenous rights, and all the various other things I’ve commented on or managed to restrain myself from commenting on when those kinds of views get aired.

Take heart in the fact that everybody doing so is at least really representing the overall attitudes of the average Cobourger as well.

Old Sailor
Reply to  Dan
4 years ago

An open question for bloggers. Do the indigenous and non indigenous dispensaries fall under the same regulatory oversight? If so is price the deciding factor on where to purchase what you want? If not what are the regulatory differences?

Wally Keeler
Reply to  Old Sailor
4 years ago

Good questions. I’m uncertain of the regulatory differences if any. I’m inclined to think no difference in theory, but in practice, … I think discretionary expediency plays a role.

Dan
Reply to  Old Sailor
4 years ago

Old Sailor, If you go talk to the staff at, for example, The Medicine Wheel, they will be more than happy to explain to you what their policies, regulations and standards are regarding the safety and quality of their products. They actually provide lab testing services to most of the other dispensaries in Alderville, and are actively putting together an indigenous cannabis standards system they hope to apply Canada-wide for indigenous dispensaries. The owner is actually involved at high levels across Canada regarding the development of cannabis for both indigenous and non-indigenous industries.

manfred s
Reply to  Dan
4 years ago

Dan, I’m telling you right here and now, my comments are not a representation of anything but MY “attitude”, as you put it, or as ‘my opinion’, as I put it. I do NOT profess to represent anyone else, including your “average Cobourger”. I’m pretty sure the same goes for many of the other commenters because I see no evidence to the contrary. You’re way off base with that ridiculous assumption.

Dan
Reply to  manfred s
4 years ago

You know you can not intend to be ‘speaking for/like the average Cobourger’ and still be doing so right? My assumption that you, politically, socially and demographically represent ‘the average Cobourger’ is not a ridiculous assumption, it is demonstrated by your posts.

I didn’t say you were speaking for them, I said you were acting like them.

manfred s
Reply to  Dan
4 years ago

“It’s not really my responsibility to try to educate people why they should care about women’s rights, and indigenous rights, and all the various other things I’ve commented on or managed to restrain myself from commenting on when those kinds of views get aired.

Take heart in the fact that everybody doing so is at least really representing the overall attitudes of the average Cobourger as well.”

Dan, if you have a ‘definition’ of the “average Cobourger” I’d love to hear it, even just so that I can try to see the basis for your comparisons. As it seems at the moment, your comments imply somekind of a shortfall in the attitudes and behaviours of your “average Cobourger” as compared to yours.

Wally Keeler
Reply to  Dan
4 years ago

You made an assertion that sparked my curiousity. I asked why, in the hope that you could have made convincing arguments. Instead, you answered with nothing, and missed an opportunity to convince people to frequent indigenous dispensaries for their product.

Dan
Reply to  Wally Keeler
4 years ago

I just feel like in this day and age, I shouldn’t really need to provide an explanation of why supporting indigenous cultures and peoples over corporations is something you should want to do.

“Because it is the morally right thing to do”?

Kyle
Reply to  Dan
4 years ago

This has nothing to do with supporting indigenous culture. I am very concerned that the dispensaries are under the same control as the illegal cigarette factories. Supporting organized crime hiding under the indigenous blanket for protection.

Wally Keeler
Reply to  Kyle
4 years ago

yes, and there is the question of who is providing product to indigenous dispensaries? And the quality of that product.

Wally Keeler
Reply to  Dan
4 years ago

Your reply is a cop-out. Obviously you have no argument whatsoever why we should prefer indigenous dispensaries over corporate dispensaries. All that you have done is signal your shallow virtue.

Dan
Reply to  Wally Keeler
4 years ago

Once again, it was clearly foolish of me to think I didn’t need to explain why corporations coming in to basically pave over what indigenous peoples are doing to support themselves and their culture is bad.

“it is the right thing to do” and “It is the morally right thing to do” are only a “cop-out” if you don’t care about the morality of the actions you take.

You should support the existing indigenous cannabis industry because corporations are bad, letting them overrun existing indigenous industry is bad, and basically any time we can do anything that supports indigenous peoples over not indigenous peoples, we’re doing a good thing.

Dubious
Reply to  Dan
4 years ago

…because corporations are bad…

How are you funding your lifestyle (or your retirement if you are of that age)?

Dan
Reply to  Dubious
4 years ago

@Dubious

In terms of my income, by preferring to work for myself, or for people whose values I share viz. caring more about customer service/experience than profit margins, creating and maintaining safe spaces for minorities, the LGBTQ+ community, ensuring all employees can earn a living wage etc.

In terms of my expenditures, as much as is possible, by preferring to support independent business, not-for-profit business, business operated by minorities and POCs, business that doesn’t put shareholder profit at the top of the list of operational priorities.

We don’t live in my ideal society, and so yes, some support of corporations is inevitable to maintain a reasonable standard of living, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try our best.

manfred s
Reply to  Dan
4 years ago

Dan, just what differentiates the fledgling cannabis industry from any other industry in terms of immunity from competitive forces? And furthermore, what does the involvement of the indigenous population have to do with it? The fact that they have chosen to participate in what has now become an “industry” is not a “free pass” on competition. Non-corporate participants survive by carving out their own niche, not by stressing out over competition.

Dan
Reply to  manfred s
4 years ago

I didn’t say they should be immune to competition. I suggested that we, as consumers, should consider preferring indigenous medicine over corporate medicine. As this is a fairly free market, you are welcome to listen to me or not, and shop where you like. Saying “You should support X over Y” is not “Y should not exist” or “You should advocate for Y not existing” it is saying “You should support X over Y”

manfred s
Reply to  Dan
4 years ago

just one last thing that gives me pause, Dan.

any time we can do anything that supports indigenous peoples over not indigenous peoples, we’re doing a good thing

This strikes me as an offensive and outright blatantly discriminatory attitude, and one that seems to fly in the face of your apparent ideals. It says that supporting a non-indigenous option is a ‘bad’ thing as opposed to supporting an indigenous option as a ‘good’ thing. It also implies that something akin to “race” should be a relevant factor in such choices. I can’t help but think that it’s not a good thing to rely on that thinking to sustain support for an ideal.

Assuming I’m talking to the Dan that had a bookstore downtown, how would you have reacted if an “indigenous” bookstore exactly the same as yours had opened nearby and their sole advantage had been their indigenous roots, AND, it was suggested that we should patronize them rather than you because of it? For me it’s not so much about listening to you or not, but about what I hear when we are listening.

Dan
Reply to  manfred s
4 years ago

Well for starters, I’m talking about indigenous industry on indigenous land supporting indigenous culture, which a fantasy bookstore in Cobourg would not be.

Secondly, if I were operating a bookstore on indigenous land, and an indigenous competitor appeared, I would absolutely expect people to suggest patronizing them over me, and wouldn’t blame them at all for that view.

Thirdly, as has been explained, my primary issue is with supporting government/corporate industry over indigenous industry, not other independent self-employed people, so your attempted gotcha works better if you claim I say…owned a Chapters franchise, in which case yes, I would imagine the same kind of reaction you/we in Cobourg -already- have about ‘supporting independents over the big chains’ when talking about stores competing with Wal-Mart and Winners would be applied to supporting their indigenous business over my corporate business.

As to the idea that suggesting supporting indigenous business over corporate business is discriminatory, in the literal sense of the word it certainly is, choosing one thing over another thing is indeed discrimination. What you seem to be getting at is the idea that this is tantamount to racism? You can’t have racism without the higher status in the power dynamic to actually institutionalize and systematize your discrimination to oppress. So no, it’s not racism.

And we, as Canadians absolutely owe a debt to indigenous cultures, and continue to owe that debt as we continue to neglect and oppress indigenous peoples in this country. And pushing people to support their industry over government/corporate interests is a great way to do that.

Kyle
Reply to  Dan
4 years ago

You better not loose your place in the Victim line.

manfred s
Reply to  Dan
4 years ago

we, as Canadians absolutely owe a debt to indigenous cultures, and continue to owe that debt as we continue to neglect and oppress indigenous peoples in this country

Dan, would you please elaborate on the “debt” “we as Canadians absolutely owe” as well as how, in your view, “we continue to oppress”.

…and as for

It also implies that something akin to “race” should be a relevant factor in such choices.

, which you misinterpreted as a reference to “racism“, was in fact relying on this definition

“A race is a grouping of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into categories generally viewed as distinct by society.”

to illustrate that your entreaties to support indigenous enterprise strictly based on their indigenousness was tantamount to using “race”, as defined above, as a basis for discrimination as opposed to any other reasonable or supportable characteristic or reason.