Hundreds of new medical marijuana operations could soon be opening their doors. Health Canada has received more than 400 applications from groups wanting to become licensed producers when new regulations come into play starting April 1.

In response to an Order Paper question, Health Minister Rona Ambrose said the department is processing 344 applications to open a medical marijuana facility, just like the one that recently popped up in Smiths Falls. The minister said 90 applications have been rejected or returned because they were incomplete.

The federal government introduced the medical marijuana overhaul last year, saying the current program was too costly and plagued with problems, ranging from unsafe grow-ups to criminal infiltration. According to Health Canada, the old program cost the department $16 million in 2011-2012 alone, a figure that was on the rise.

Come April 1, Canadians will no longer be able to apply for permission to grow their own medical marijuana. The new program — which a B.C. court recently said violates the charter rights of patients — makes that practice illegal and restricts users to purchasing medical marijuana from commercial growers licensed by Health Canada. The new program has cost taxpayers $1,828,650 so far.

Broken down by province, the largest number of grow applications come from Ontario, home to 146 would-be growers. British Columbia is a close second, with 120 applications. From there, the numbers drop way off to just 24 in Quebec, 18 in Alberta, 11 in Manitoba, seven each in Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan, six in New Brunswick, three in Newfoundland and Labrador and just two in Prince Edward Island.

Although there is a lot of interest in becoming a medical marijuana producer, the application process is quite rigorous, time-consuming and costly. So far, Health Canada has issued only eight licenses; six are already operational.

Applicants must undergo security checks by the RCMP, demonstrate that the facilities meet Health Canada standards and that there are sufficient security and record-keeping measures in place to reduce the chances the medical marijuana will make it onto the streets.

Critics have argued the new regulations will increase the cost of medical marijuana as the fees will be set by commercial operations, which in almost all cases are looking to make a profit. Right now, the plant’s price is fixed by producers and ranges from $3 to $12 per gram.

On Friday, a B.C. judge issued an injunction to a group of medical marijuana users arguing the cost of the plants under the new program will likely prevent some people from obtaining the drug.

“I find that the nature of the irreparable harm that the applicants will suffer under the (updated regulations) constitutes a ‘clear case,’ which outweighs the public interest in wholly maintaining the enacted regulations,” the judge read.

Health Canada has vowed to move forward with the regulations, despite mounting pressure to go back to the drawing board. Many experts and politicians believe this issue could make its way to the Supreme Court of Canada.