The first shipment of a Richmond-grown cannabis strain is now available to purchase through the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch’s website.
Emerald Health Therapeutics, which operates a 20-acre facility near No. 9 Road and Westminster Highway in the Agricultural Land Reserve in Richmond, said its cannabis strain, Chemdog, will also be available in certain licensed cannabis retail stores in B.C.
The company said it also expects to receive orders from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in the coming weeks.
According to Emerald, the cannabis strain is the first of five “unique strains” the company is growing and harvesting at its Richmond operation, which has been at the centre of controversy in Richmond.
Earlier this year, it received Health Canada permits to grow and harvest cannabis crops at its 12-acre outdoor cultivation area and to operate the first of two 78,000-square-foot greenhouses.
Construction on the two greenhouses had come to a halt in 2017 after the City of Richmond denied Dr. Avtar Dhillon, Emerald’s president, building permits and issued a stop-work order.
The city suspected that Dhillon might use the greenhouses for medical cannabis production, which was outlawed by the city on ALR lands in 2003. The city lost its case in court in 2018.
Emerald said its operation is certified by Pro-Cert Organic Systems, an accredited Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
