New Brunswick Maliseets To Develop Medical Marijuana Center

The Tobique-Maliseet First Nation has reached a deal with a U.S. company to develop a medical marijuana research and treatment facility in western New Brunswick.

The X-Change Corporation said the Tobique community has allocated up to 1000 acres for a legal cannabis growing facility, clinical laboratory, manufacturing and production facility, and treatment center.

In a press release, the company said that initially 10 acres of land will be set aside to cultivate marijuana. Eventually, the growing operation may expand to include 300 acres for cannabis and 100 acres for hemp, as demand for medicines and treatments increase.

Councilor Paul Pyers is representing the Tobique-Maliseet First Nation in the project, which is still in the planning stages and could take several years to complete.

Canada has allowed production and use of medical marijuana since 2001 as a way to provide relief to people suffering from debilitating diseases and those who are terminally ill.

Health Canada has recently issued a proposal to get the government out of the medical marijuana business and effectively commercialize its production and distribution.

X-Change Corp. estimates that over 30 million people in the United States and over 100 million around the world have the potential to be clients and patients over the next five years.