News Room & Archives

More pot, please: Demand booming for Prairie Plant's marijuana

CBC News
October 23, 2006

Demand for medical marijuana has grown by 80 per cent this year for a Saskatoon company that grows the plant in an old northern Manitoba mine shaft, its president said.

In fact, Health Canada has asked Prairie Plant Systems Inc. to produce more medical marijuana at its underground facility near Flin Flon, Man.

The company has signed a one-year contract extension with Health Canada to grow the medical marijuana and has received its largest order in the past five years, said Prairie Plant president Brent Zettl.

Read the complete article:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2006/10/23/prairie-plant.html

Canada's Medical Marijuana Research Program is One of the Most Advanced in the World

FOR RELEASE:
Health Canada
June 16, 2005

TORONTO: On Tuesday June 14, 2005, CTV’s National News aired a segment on Health Canada’s medical marijuana research and distribution programs. It was alleged that the medicinal marijuana grown by Prairie Plant Systems (“PPS”), Canada’s only legal and licensed grower and distributor of medical marijuana, is of questionable quality and is grown in a potentially unsafe location near Flin Flon, Manitoba. While PPS welcomes and appreciates patient and public feedback, the Company takes this opportunity to provide additional information so Canadians are not misled by this report.

Read the entire Press Release (PDF Document)

Znaimer, Mimran talents go to pot

The Globe & Mail
December 18, 2004

When television mogul Moses Znaimer gave up his seat in the executive offices of CHUM Ltd. last year, he issued a cryptic statement, saying his future might involve "trying my hand at something completely different."

His latest venture fits the description. Mr. Znaimer and retailer Joseph Mimran have co-founded a research company to invent medicines made with marijuana...

Read the entire Globe & Mail article
Learn more about Prairie Plant Systems, Inc. involvement in Medicinal Marijuana

6 Years of Determination to See a Vision Reach Its Depths: Underground Business Benefits Prairie Plant Systems

The CETAC-WESTerner
Autumn 2004

Under Brent Zettl's leadership, Prairie Plant Systems Inc. (PPS) brings biotechnology to new depths, using biosecure growing areas built into abandoned underground mines in Manitoba and Michigan. In the process, PPS is securing Canada as a biotechnology leader.

Corporations and research agencies engaged in nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and related research are attracted to PPS's underground growth chambers, which provide separation from the outside environment, including from air and soil borne diseases. The subterranean surroundings allow for control of temperature, light and the air mix. In addition, the isolation minimizes the risk of industrial espionage.

Read the entire CETAC-WESTerner article
Learn more about Prairie Plant Systems, Inc. involvement in Medicinal Marijuana

Prairie Plant Systems Inc. - (February, 2003)

PBI Article
February, 2003

Since incorporation in 1988, Prairie Plant Systems Inc. (PPS) has continued to display innovative expertise and leadership in the development and use of a wide range of plants— herbs, nutraceuticals, fruit trees, native trees and grasses as well as biopharmaceuticals.

In addition to its greenhouse/office complex in Saskatoon, PPS has two underground commercial scale growth chambers (UGC) which are located in Flin Flon MB and White Pine MI.

In 1990, PPS and Hudson Bay Mining & Smelting Co. Ltd. partnered to establish a state-of-the-art underground growth chamber 360 metres below the earth’s surface in an unused portion of a copper and zinc mine located at Flin Flon MB. Research has been conducted on over 500 plants species since the project’s inception. On-going research has proven that significant accelerated growth can be achieved in an UGC and in 2001, a full-scale commercial UGC operation was constructed at the Trout Lake facility to utilize this unique knowledge.

Prairie Plant Systems Inc. expanded into the United States with the incorporation of SubTerra LLC in January of 2000. SubTerra began operating a second pilot full scale UGC at White Pine MI. The two UGC operations offer 15,000 ft² of growing area with expansion capacity of 3.5 million ft².

These chambers provide benefits to two very distinct industry sectors by:

• Recommissioning underground mined areas—the mining company benefits by deferring or even transferring ownership to new economic activity which facilitates an easier more acceptable mine closure/decommissioning strategy.
• Meeting the demands for isolated growing environments needed in biotechnology—companies benefit by having access to large, accelerated growth performing, biosecure growth chambers (the value of such facilities to these companies is quite significant). Associated research projects involving genomics or engineered pharmaceutically active plants can be accelerated utilizing the UGC.

Commercially, the benefits of producing biopharmaceutical plants in an UGC include biosecurity, quality control for cGMP compliance, stability of supply and environmental safety at cost competitive rates. Utilizing large areas isolated from the natural environment would circumvent many of the issues and concerns of government agencies and the public for genetically sensitive projects.

In addition to the benefits outlined above, many plant species experience accelerated growth rates in the UGC; thereby shortening the growing/research cycle. When crops are in the experimental design phase, the faster the plants can be brought to maturity and the results of the research analyzed, the sooner the companies can bring their product to market.

Research has indicated that high value plants (such as herbs and other medicinal plants) which take longer to reach maturation or market readiness benefit greatly from UGC production and the accelerated growth rates. Thus, utilizing the UGC would mean increased productivity by producing more crops in a shorter period of time.

Both of the current PPS UGCs offer disease controlled surroundings which are isolated from the outside environment. The chambers are computer monitored to offer 24 hour temperature, light, and CO2 control. Custom designed fixtures with high intensity lighting can be set for any photoperiod required. Bioprocessing facilities can be developed to client’s specifications. The Flin Flon facility offers Level 7 security.

Prairie Plant Systems Inc. is in position to establish strategic alliances with phytochemical/pharmaceutical companies who can take advantage of the accelerated growth technology and the biosecurity afforded by the underground growth chamber. This environment is ideal for the production of high-value plants and can be expected to provide the contracting company with strategic production advantages in their industry.

Website: www.prairiplant.com

"The development of the underground growth chamber offers benefits to both mining and biotechnology companies by introducing a new commercial opportunity to one and offering secure and accelerated plant growth to the other."

Biopharm International

http://www.biopharminternational.com/biopharm/