Nestled inside Canopy Growth Corp.91裸聊视频檚 sprawling marijuana facility outside Ottawa is a laboratory where technicians in white lab coats and hair nets bustle about, pipetting fluids into glassware as machinery hums and coloured, three-dimensional graphs flash on nearby screens.
The lab is unlike any other in the 15,600-square-metre facility, a so-called dealers licence area, which allows the company to experiment with materials and products that are not otherwise legal in Canada 91裸聊视频� or even the rest of the facility.
It91裸聊视频檚 a separate room within Canopy91裸聊视频檚 enormous operation at an old Hershey91裸聊视频檚 chocolate factory in Smith Falls, Ont., where scientists develop ideas into products 91裸聊视频� from cannabis-infused drinks to new edibles 91裸聊视频� ahead of anticipated changes to Canada91裸聊视频檚 marijuana laws.
91裸聊视频淭his is probably the most sophisticated cannabis lab in Canada,91裸聊视频� said scientific adviser Ben Geiling.
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Various analytical instruments are used to measure the composition of marijuana samples, such as the ratio of active organic compounds like cannabinoids and terpenes, while mass spectrometers detect various pesticides and toxins.
Elaborate machines 91裸聊视频� whirling tubes and electric boxes suspended in a metal lattice, all of it reminiscent of a Dr. Seuss illustration 91裸聊视频� fill half the room. It91裸聊视频檚 the first time media has been allowed into the space; taking photos of the devices is forbidden in order to prevent details about the sensitive technology from falling into the hands of competitors.
As Canada looks ahead to legalizing recreational marijuana later this year, Canopy91裸聊视频檚 lab is part of a general trend toward more sophistication in an industry looking to shed lingering stereotypes of basement grow-ops and black market dealers.
Geiling arrived at Canopy two-and-a-half years ago after completing graduate studies in biology at McGill University in Montreal and had never imagined working at a marijuana company.
91裸聊视频淎bsolutely not. When I first started here I was very skeptical, until my first day. Then I realized this wasn91裸聊视频檛 just someone91裸聊视频檚 garage,91裸聊视频� he said, laughing.
91裸聊视频淗onestly, I didn91裸聊视频檛 know what to expect. I had some ideas that maybe it wouldn91裸聊视频檛 be a very sophisticated operation, there wouldn91裸聊视频檛 be a lot of science. I couldn91裸聊视频檛 have been more wrong.91裸聊视频�
Geiling said the dealers licence area is more of a pharmaceutical regulation, separate from the regulatory framework that surrounds the ACMPR, or Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulation.
In 2016, Canopy became the second company in Canada to obtain the unique licence, which also allows it to test marijuana from other legal growers, to determine the chemical makeup of their product.
91裸聊视频淭his is no longer something that91裸聊视频檚 run by biker gangs or people growing in their basement,91裸聊视频� Geiling said. 91裸聊视频漈his is a true pharmaceutical facility.91裸聊视频�
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Despite being located in the heart of Canopy91裸聊视频檚 facility, the lab is considered a separate entity 91裸聊视频� so much so that paperwork must be filed to move marijuana into it, even from elsewhere in the facility.
Bruce Linton, Canopy91裸聊视频檚 CEO, described the value of the lab as offering the company a chance to make more mistakes than the competition.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e not just testing products. We91裸聊视频檙e trying to invent things,91裸聊视频� he said before gesturing around the dealers licence area. 91裸聊视频淒oes this look like a marijuana facility, or a high-end lab where you can have lots of interesting PhDs coming and sharing ideas?91裸聊视频�
There are 370 people working at Canopy in Smith Falls, with more than 750 workers across Canada and more than 300 job openings.
But it wasn91裸聊视频檛 always this way. In the early days of 2014, recruiting talent was a challenge, Linton said.
91裸聊视频淭he big problem was getting you as a first person to decide that you91裸聊视频檙e going to tell your parents you91裸聊视频檙e joining a pot company.91裸聊视频�
Those challenges appear to be a thing of the past, as the company prepares to hire as many as 400 new people.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 hard not to be excited,91裸聊视频� Linton said.
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Geordon Omand, The Canadian Press
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