CEN Biotech has announced on Tuesday a $12-million investment in a high security facility for medical marijuana production. The said facility could employ 50 workers by the end of 2014, according to The Windsor Star.
Bill Chaaban, president of CEN Biotech, said the firm plans to build a 58,000-square-foot growing facility in a barn near the Essex County OPP headquarters. The construction is set to start in the spring. Chaaban also said the company targets operation to begin after seven months, the report explained.
CEN Biotech is a subsidiary of Michigan-based firm Creative Edge Nutrition (CEN). Investor Joe Byrne said the planned security at the Lakeshore plant will be similar to a federal penitentiary. It will have double perimeter fencing, guards, 24/7 monitoring with night-vision cameras, and police officers. The business proponents have been granted RCMP clearance. The principals said nobody can enter the facility without criminal checks, the report detailed.
More than 40,000 marijuana plants will be grown in the facility. The plant will also produce up to 1.3 million pounds of medical marijuana every year, depending on the demand. All of the products are electronically tracked. The growing, harvesting, drying, and packaging will be done on-site. The finished product will be sent via courier to patients or clients, The Windsor Star reported.
Byrne said of the deal: "This is an opportunity to start a brand new industry. Our community houses the continent's most robust, secure border environment, and as a hub for agriculture expertise, our region boasts the country's best hub for horticulture."
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