Health nuts and stoners alike can rejoice with the news that Wellcana Group will be expanding its medical marijuana business to begin a statewide push to bring CBD products into the Louisiana market.
Wellcana Group currently operates one of a select number of medical marijuana growing facilities in the state of Louisiana. Licensed by LSU, Wellcana sells THC products to approximately 5,000 patients suffering from specific, pre-approved medical conditions across the state through licensed doctors' recommendations. In accordance with the group's projected plans, Wellcana will begin to produce a variety of CBD, or Cannabidiol, products with the expansion of their facilities and workforce.
Fans of recreational marijuana shouldn't get their hopes up too much, as CBD lacks THC, the active ingredient in medical and recreational marijuana that gives you that buzzed feeling. Instead, CBD is derived from hemp and can be legally sold by retailers in all states. However, there is still much to celebrate about CBD even if it doesn't produce a high, including a long list of perceived health benefits like pain relief, reduction of anxiety and depression, and even acne treatment, that have sparked a national interest in CBD products.
Wellcana plans to expand upon their existing facility in Baton Rouge with the goal of sourcing enough hemp biomass to supply all of their new CBD products. These products will include topicals and salves, strips that dissolve on the tongue, and chewable medicine. Additionally Wellcana will build a completely new 100,000 square-foot indoor facility located in a more rural area between Baton Rouge and Lafayette, which will serve as a marijuana greenhouse and storage facility. This new cultivation facility will be the main location where the group will continue to produce its medical marijuana products, which will be expanded to mirror the line of CBD products, with the addition of metered dose inhalers.
Wellcana's expansion is good news for the state of Louisiana, as the project could supply between 100 and 200 new full and part time jobs. Many of these jobs will be filled by farmers, who can buy hemp clones in order to produce high yields for hemp crops quickly and efficiently, fulfilling Wellcana's vision of a system that operates like a sugar cooperative. The expansion also puts Louisiana at the forefront of a national trend towards the incorporation of more medical marijuana and CBD products into mainstream markets. With over 100 investors and $10 million raised as of February 2019, Wellcana signals a business community that recognizes the value that marijuana based markets can have for local, regional, and even national economies.
While the project is still in its developing stages, expectations are high for what the future of marijuana products might look like in Louisiana. So the next time you are in your local pharmacy or health store, keep your eyes peeled for any CBD products and see for yourself what all the buzz is about!