Pot profits predicted to soar with legalization on the horizon

Tucked into the rolling hills of Alberta's ranch country, just down the road from the small town of Cremona,lies one of Canada's biggest medical marijuana operations.

Just over an hour fromCalgary, theAurora Cannabisproduction facility is set back from the road,and ringed by barbedwire.

Security is tight, inside and out.

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Insidethe sprawling 55,000-square-foot facility, key cards are needed to enter and exit each room, and security cameras perched above doorsmonitor everything that goes on.

CamBattley,a vice-president of Aurora and aboard memberof theCannabis Canada Association, which represents more than half of Canada's 31 licensed medical marijuana growers,says the idea that pot is a medicine has gone mainstream in Canada.

"There are now about 70,000patients in the medical cannabis system and that number is growing by about 10 per cent per month,so it is growing exceedingly quickly."

Battley says the industry is set to expand even more whenrecreational pot becomes legal, as the federal government has promised in legislation planned for next spring.

"We have the capacity to produce very large volumes of high quality cannabis, so Aurora and other licensed producers do intend to be involved in the consumer cannabis market."

That could help push Aurora and other producers into profitability, and Battley says it could be great news for the economy, especially in Alberta which continues to sufferthe impact of low oil prices.

"It will be an economic success story that this province can be proud of and, more broadly, this is something we are seeing across Canada. Canada has become the world leader not only in medical cannabis research but also in medical cannabis production."

In the Aurora operation,Joel Fuzat's tattooedwrist peaks out from his medical scrubs as he reaches out to buzz himself into the "vault."

Inside, Fuzat,who runs this facility,cradles a large silver package in his arms,"Here in my hand protecting it from light, heat and temperature is about $8,000 in medical grade cannabis," he says.

"Today we just packaged container number 33,000. Not bad for just starting sales in January."

The10 grow roomscan each house thousands of plants under warm yellow lights. AsFuzatenters grow room W1, a pleasant floral aroma wafts out.

"Here in W1 you will see a strain called Grape LA. It has about two or three weeks left until we harvest it."

Once harvested, the many different strains that are grown herewill be packaged and shipped to one of Aurora's nearly 4,000customers.

Jennifer Cummings, one of those customers, is part of a growing number of Canadians who are turning to medicinal pot for what ails them.

Cummings shows off a container of prescribedpot, and thevaporizer she uses to take hermedicine on the dining table of her suburban Calgary home.

Cummings, who hasCrohn'sdisease and severe migraines, worked as a nurse before chronic pain forced her off the job,"I know pain from both sides I know pain as a patient and I know pain professionally," she says.

The mother of two says she was ondrugsfrom opioids to betablockers before turning to medicinal marijuana out of desperation. She says nothing has relieved her pain like pot.

"It just feels like you are being enveloped with this protective layer around you and it is a relief."