Cronos Group, which owns two federally licensed medical marijuana growers in Canada, is partnering with the former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Phil Fontaine, with the aim of bringing MMJ products and jobs to indigenous communities across the country.
The former First Nations leader and Cronos, formerly known as PharmaCan Capital Corp., have launched Indigenous Roots, a medical marijuana company Fontaine will lead.
It will work with First Nations communities, which are made up of various Aboriginal Canadians who are not Inuit or Métis. The Assembly of First Nations is a political group that represents about 900,000 First Nations citizens.
The plan is to build licensed production facilities that employ First Nations members and provide medical cannabis to the community’s patients. The partnership was announced in a joint press release.
Under the agreement, Cronos will build the first facility on land it owns in British Columbia. It will also provide intellectual property, engineering and training. Indigenous Roots and Cronos will split the operating profits 50-50, the release said.
Cronos owns Peace Naturals Project in Ontario and In The Zone Produce in British Columbia, which between them produce about 5,700 pounds of cannabis annually.
