Grow Life 420

After just a year of growing pot in Leamington, Tilray Inc., one of Canada’s biggest cannabis companies, is pulling up its local stakes and shutting down a greenhouse operation that employed about 120 workers.

“I’m very disappointed — this is a blow to our municipality and very concerning,” said Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald, who heard the news second-hand on Wednesday. “Right now, we already have people not working because of COVID,” she said.

“The decision to close a facility is never easy,” Tilray CEO Brendan Kennedy said in a statement released late Tuesday after markets had shut for the day. “We are continuously evaluating the evolving needs of our business, against a challenging industry backdrop.”

– Read the entire article at Windsor Star.

The already bustling cannabis scene concentrated in Essex County’s southeastern corner is getting another major addition this spring with pot company PharmHouse Inc. set to begin growing medical marijuana at a new $150-million operation in Leamington.

In anticipation of soon getting its final Health Canada approval to begin production, the company, affiliated with Canopy Growth, the nation’s largest pot company, is hosting a jobs fair next month to hire as many as 100 employees.

“What we are doing in cannabis is an absolute game-changer,” said PharmHouse human resources manager Lisa Carr.

– Read the entire article at Windsor Star.