By Mitchell Clarke
A high-tech greenhouse and processing facility to produce medicinal cannabis is currently being built in Pakenham.
Establishing itself as the Asia Pacific headquarters, Canopy Growth Corporation through its wholly owned subsidiary Spectrum Therapeutics Australia will generate over 200 jobs and invest in excess of $50 million into the local economy.
Canopy Growth Corporation Asia-Pacific managing director Ben Quirin said Pakenham became an ideal location to begin their Victorian production.
“We were looking for a site that was fit for purpose in regards to the scale we were looking at, the utilities we required to be able to operate the site effectively and making sure that we also had a workforce that we believed we could tap into accordingly,” Mr Quirin said.
“We see a great opportunity for us to establish our presence here in the local community and we’re very committed to delivering on this program.”
The company identified the site late last year and have obtained the required planning permits, receiving overwhelming support from Cardinia Shire Council.
“From our perspective, we’re very much looking forward to getting this program off the ground. We’ll have locally produced medication that meets Australian regulatory standards that will fulfil the needs of local patients,” Mr Quirin said.
The facility will feature a cultivation site which is set to be up and running by early next year. A neighbouring onsite manufacturing complex is anticipated to open in late 2020, with some applications relating to licenses and permits still needing to be finalised.
Currently, there are no completed facilities in Melbourne, with Pakenham set to be among the first in the state.
“For us, we’re not afraid of regulations, we look to establish global standards, we look at the quality and the safety and we underpin all that with education,” Mr Quirin said.
In 2016, Victoria became the first state to legalise access to medicinal cannabis for patients under exceptional circumstances, but the company accepts there is still a stigma associated with their industry.
“To be honest, I think things have changed significantly, ultimately this is what we’re producing, we’re producing a medication, this is no different to any sort of medication being produced in a manufacturing site,” he said.
The research on medical cannabis is constantly evolving with the company continuing to find real world data which supports the use of medicinal cannabis.
Medical cannabis first came to attention in Victoria when it was used to alleviate the number of seizures suffered by children with epilepsy.
“Federal and state government have worked together to offer a streamlined process that allows the supporting doctor to apply for approval for the medication on behalf of their patient,” Mr Quirin explained.
“The conditions it can be prescribed for are outlined by the federal government, but it is ultimately the decision of the doctor to decide if their patient would benefit from medicinal cannabis.”
And the company aren’t claiming to be able to cure specific illnesses with medicinal cannabis, rather stating the plant is able to contribute to a better quality of life.
“What we’re starting to see now is doctors starting to prescribe for various other indications whether its pain, sleep, anxiety, this is also aiding on those various areas.”
Spectrum Therapeutics currently import product from Canada to be able to fulfil immediate patient requirements in Australia.
