Licensed Canadian Medical Marijuana Producers: Part 2

Canada’s 13 licensed medical marijuana producers are now the only legal source of medical marijuana in the country. Each is licensed by Health Canada and has met a stringent set of security requirements to be able to cultivate and sell the drug.

In August, we looked at six of these companies — now we’ll discuss the other seven. Investors interested in joining the medical marijuana space should note that three of these companies, Tweed, ThunderBird and OrganiGram, are subsidiaries of public companies.

MedReleaf

MedReleaf expects to serve 10,000 patients by the end of this year, according to the Financial Post, and by expanding its facilities hopes to serve 100,000 within the next few years .

The company has a partnership with Israeli firm Tikun Olam, which leads the field in medical cannabis research. It is the largest producer of medical marijuana in Israel, and MedReleaf has access to its proprietary varieties. Tikun Olam also has a large patient treatment experience database that MedReleaf can access.

Trimmings of MedReleaf varieties start at $2.50 per gram, and its lowest-cost single strain costs $5 per gram.

OrganiGram

OrganiGram produces organic medical marijuana that is tailored to specific conditions, including nausea, anxiety, spasticity and chronic pain, at its growing facility in Moncton, New Brunswick. The company OrganiGram Holdings (TSXV:OGI) is traded on the TSX Venture Exchange, and the actual producing company, OrganiGram, is its wholly owned subsidiary.

On September 2, the company shipped its first orders of medical marijuana to patients after passing product testing under Health Canada guidelines.

OrganiGram’s strains start at $6 per gram.

The Peace Naturals Project

The Peace Naturals Project works to produce marijuana through organic and sustainable means, and has a special focus on community education about medical marijuana.

The company placed in the top three for the high-CBD strains category of the Canadian Cannabis Awards with its Nina strain, according to a news release. It also won third place among sativa strains with its Happy Feet strain.

The company’s strains start at $4.50 per gram.

Thunderbird Biomedical

Thunderbird Biomedical has been licensed to produce medical marijuana since February 2014, and is the first facility on Vancouver Island. The wholly owned subsidiary of T-Bird Pharma (TSXV:TPI) is a pre-revenue company, and was incorporated in 2013 to produce and sell medical marijuana. Its current license is valid through early February 2015 for an amount of up to 243 kilograms.

On September 22, T-Bird Pharma announced that Thunderbird Biomedical had signed a lease for a second facility in Victoria, BC, and that the building should have its first Health Canada inspection in the first quarter of 2015. The site will serve as an expansion of the business after the company perfects its manufacturing processes at its current facility, according to the release.

ThunderBird doesn’t yet sell medical marijuana.

Tilray

Tilray, which is currently shipping its product and is open to new patients, produces a variety of strains of medical marijuana, and aims to create consistent, genetically verified strains for patients to use. To achieve this goal, the company employs botanists and master gardeners with extensive industry experience in medical marijuana and other agricultural sciences.

The process Tilray uses to produce its marijuana strains spans from genetic research to growing and testing for contaminants and mold. Tilray is an approved provider with Veterans Affairs Canada and offers direct billing for approved patients.

Prices for Tilray’s strains start at $8 per gram.

Tweed

Tweed is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tweed Marijuana (TSXV:TWD), a company that trades on the TSX Venture Exchange. It supplies marijuana strains that treat a wide variety of symptoms, from seizures to loss of appetite, from its eight-building facility in Smiths Falls, Ontario. Tweed began operations in 2013, and is now shipping to its many patients — it even has a waiting list of many more.

Tweed is often in the news for its growing operation and its product. Most recently, Tweed was featured in WWLP for having the world’s largest marijuana growing operation, once it expands into the entirety of its space.

“We bring them in as cuttings and starter plants, we transplant them and then we are going to grow them onto finishing flower height,” the head grower told WWLP.

Tweed’s strains start at $5 per gram.

Whistler Medical Marijuana

Whistler Medical Marijuana is currently producing, and has reached its capacity for patients at its current facility. The company is in the process of expanding its production facilities and expects to be able to accommodate more patients soon.The company focuses on small harvests of crops and organic growing processes.

The company produces three strains of marijuana that start at a price of $10 per gram.

Related reading: 

Licensed Canadian Medical Marijuana Producers: Part 1

White Paper — Establishing a Medical Marijuana Business: Top Business and Regulatory Issues