High expectations for Tweed medical marijuana business

Ontario medical marijuana firm Tweed Inc. has its crop in process and is preparing for April 1, the day it can officially start business.

One of five companies approved by Health Canada to supply medical marijuana, it has set up operations in a Hershey factory in Smith Falls, Ont., that has not been used since 2008.

• Medical marijuana company Tweed Inc. to seek TSX listing

Medical marijuana is prescribed by doctors for conditions such as chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, cancer and insomnia. Tweed is preparing to deliver the product directly to users, within a regime that has several safeguards to ensure that prescriptions are double-checked with doctors.

The company has also announced its intention to seek a listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Co-founder and CEO Bruce Linton talked to CBCs The Lang & OLeary Exchange about the business plan for the fledgling company.

"The idea is that we would be a big company making a lot of strains so we can help people with the range of supply that they can have marijuana for," Linton said.

One of the challenges for doctors prescribing the drug is the issue of smoking, which is bad for anyone's health because of particulates. Linton said Tweed is looking at a vapour-based inhaler that may be more effective as a way of delivering the drug.