Cann Group completes first harvest of medicinal cannabis

Melbourne-based Cann Group (ASX: CAN) reports that it has completed harvest of its first cultivation cycle of medicinal cannabis at its Southern facility in Victoria.

The production process, which includes the curing and drying of harvested material, has been completed, and approval was received from the Office of Drug Control (ODC) late on Friday 25 August to send samples for full analysis.

The plant material was harvested in the first half of August under Cann Group’s cannabis research permits as well as its medicinal cannabis permit.

These permits, received in May 2017, allow for the establishment of breeding plants for propagation purposes; a research program being undertaken with CSIRO to develop unique cannabis extracts; and the supply of plant material for manufacturing into medicinal cannabis products for patient use.

Cann Group is producing medicinal cannabis for subsequent manufacturing into a final product that can be accessed by patients via clinical trials, or through the TGA’s Authorised Prescriber or Special Access Scheme.

Cann Group CEO Peter Crock said:

“We are pleased to have successfully completed this first harvest and production process.

While this first harvest is relatively small, it has been important to validate our processes as we build up our capacity, and being the first commercial product to be harvested in Australia, this is a key milestone for both Cann Group and the developing medicinal cannabis industry in Australia.”

Propagation continues for the next crop of plants to go into production at the Southern facility.