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Last summer, a few months before Canada legalized cannabis for recreational use, Canopy Growth Corp. bused a group of seniors from a nearby nursing home to its facility in Smiths Falls, Ont.

The idea, according to Canopy CEO Bruce Linton, was to let them observe how cannabis is grown and learn about the plant’s medical uses.

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“They were really curious about the plant. They wanted to know what we were doing over here, what weed was all about, and how it could maybe help them through their ailments,” Linton said.

The interest, it turns out, was mutual. In early October, Canopy announced a six-month study tracking and monitoring the effects of medical cannabis as an alternative to other pain therapies. The licensed producer partnered with the Ontario Long Term Care Association for the project, which involves 500 seniors in a number of OLTCA facilities across the province.