Aurora Cannabis Inc., which has its licenced medical marijuana production facility located in Mountain View County near Cremona, has reached more than 1,000 active registered patients ordering products, officials announced last week.
The company first started selling cannabis under the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR) in January.
"I think a lot of people's eyes were opened wide because that's a blistering pace to a thousand patients," said Cam Battley, Aurora's senior vice-president of communications and medical affairs.
Aurora offers patients 15 strains to choose from. Its "Temple" one was the top seller in March. According to a company press release, that strain contains 24 per cent cannabidiol (CBD), the highest content of any strain in Canada.
CBD is the active ingredient used as an anti-inflammatory and for pain relief. It is a non-psychoactive substance.
"We're seeing patients from across the country in particular because of that remarkable Temple strain of ours. It's really a stunning level of CBD," he said.
Aurora also announced it hopes to get Health Canada approval to sell derivative products after being licensed to extract cannabis oil.
The backdrop to the company's announcement is a federal court's decision on Feb. 24 to strike down the MMPR, which limits the ability of patients to grow their own medical cannabis.
The federal government has six months from the ruling to amend the regulations. Currently, the MMPR still stands.
Aurora's publicly-traded stock price fell to 57 cents the day of the decision, from 64 cents the day before. However, Battley, who is also spokesperson and chair of the Canadian Medical Cannabis Industry Association's advocacy committee, isn't worried.
"Anybody who tells you it does (have an industry impact), I think is panicking," he said about the Allard v Canada ruling. "In fact, in the future, maybe it opens up new business opportunities for us to sell kits or seeds."
There will be some patients who will want to grow their own medicine, he said.
"But the way I look at it is, it's like making your own wine. I've tried that and I wasn't too pleased with the results. I go to a wine store or a liquor store and I think that's the way most people will do it,” he said.
"I think a lot of people's eyes were opened wide because that's a blistering pace to a thousand patients." CAM BATTLEY, Aurora VP
