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With just days to go until some believe marijuana mania will blow across Canada when recreational pot becomes legal, a major medical marijuana producer says it has just received the licence allowing them to cultivate cannabis west of Edmonton.

“It’s great news today,” Jim Hole, vice-president of cultivation at Atlas Growers, told Global News on Friday. “It’s been about a four-year process… [so it] just allows us to really get going.

“What that means is we can now commence the cultivation of cannabis and Atlas is focused on the medicinal cannabis market — so it’s great news.”

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Hole said the timing of the development couldn’t be better because the privately owned Canadian company’s new cannabis-production facility in Lac Ste. Anne County has just been completed.

READ MORE: Strathcona County addresses cannabis production facilities, plans to amend land-use bylaw

The 38,000-sq,-ft. facility is expected to produce 5,500 kilograms of cannabis each year.

“It’s a state-of-the-art facility and we just can’t wait to get the first plants growing and harvested,” Hole said. “We can now do everything from growing to now selling the cannabis and Atlas is focused on doing extraction as well, so providing the medicinal components of cannabis for sale.”

READ MORE: Hole’s Greenhouses joins forces with cannabis producer Atlas Growers

Watch below: An Edmonton greenhouse mogul is taking his knowledge of plants to the next level. On Dec. 13, 2017, Gord Steinke sat down to speak to Jim Hole who has taken on the role as the director of a medical marijuana operation for Atlas Growers.

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Hole said Atlas is focused on serving markets beyond Canada’s borders as well.

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“We’re pursuing the European market for medicinal cannabis,” he said. “That’s a market that has a high demand for the product and they have a demand for a very high-quality product so that is exciting we can now start to supply that European market.”

READ MORE: Legal cannabis could mean new jobs and cash in Alberta’s economy

Watch below: On Oct. 9, 2018, Fletcher Kent filed this report about the economics of pot and the multi-million dollar industry that will emerge overnight.

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Hole said while the process of acquiring the licence to cultivate was a lengthy one, he understands why it’s so thorough.

“The process is long but at the same time it’s important because consumers have to understand what they’re getting and be assured they’re getting a high-quality product that’s safe for them.”

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