Dive Brief:
- An entrepreneur wants to convert a facility that once manufactured Hershey's chocolate bars in to an indoor growing facility to produce medical marijuana.
- Bruce Linton, chairman of Tweed Inc., says he's had a difficult time finding a suitable location. The ex-Hershey's plant in Smith Falls, outside of Ottawa, may be perfect. It's across the street from the police station and has the support of local politicians.
- Canada's government recently said it would ban home-grown pot for medical use and instead allow companies to cultivate the plant.
Dive Insight:
This story has the feel of an oldCheech and Chongmovie in which our heroes get high, get the munchies and then say..."like look, man, it's like, you know, a chocolate factory" ... and start chewing on pieces of discarded equipment. But this is not a movie, nor a joke. Rather it's an attempt to address two serious issues at the same time: the discomfort associated with the treatment of serious diseases and the unemployment crisis in former manufacturing towns. So we love this chocolate-factory-turned-pot-house idea. It's also worth noting that there may be a bit of trend developing in which old food/beverage facilities find new uses in the modern world, i.e., whenGoogle bought a Gatorade plant.
