When Marc Geen’s family built a farming business over 120 years ago, it was unlikely they anticipated growing cannabis.
“The Geen’s have been farming in the Okanagan since about the turn of the century,” Geen, CEO of SpeakEasy, a BC-based late stage Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) applicant told Daily Hive over the phone.
Aside from apples, the Geens also grew ginseng and cherries, until a new opportunity arose.
“I was reading the newspaper and there was an advertisement from the government announcing the inception of the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR),” said Geen.
“I talked to my parents and asked if they wanted to get involved in growing cannabis, and the rest is history.”
The Geen’s 2500 acre ranch in BC’s “golden mile” (named for its ideal growing conditions) now houses a 10,000-sq-ft facility with another 80,000-sq-ft being built for indoor cannabis cultivation.