Barely a month after making history and becoming the first company to ship legal medical cannabis into Malta, Aurora Cannabis has announced that it has received a Letter of Intent (LOI) from Malta Enterprise, Malta’s governmental internal investment-seeking arm, approving Aurora’s application for the establishment of a seed-to-pharma cannabis operation on the island.

This approval, which is subject to certain conditions, is the first cultivation LOI that has ever been issued by the Maltese authorities. Consequently, it was announced that a brand new subsidiary company, Aurora Malta, will be formed by Aurora in partnership with Maltese pharmaceutical company Cherubino.

“Aurora already was the first company to export medical cannabis to both Italy and Malta, and now is the first to receive approval for the production, processing, and distribution of cannabis in the country,” said Neil Belot, Aurora’s Chief Global Business Development Officer.

“Having an EU GMP compliant facility in Malta will position us well to serve multiple international markets, including Southern Europe and beyond. We are delighted to have Cherubino as our local partner, whose professionalism, reputation and standing in Malta were instrumental in establishing a local presence. We look forward to creating a thriving Maltese business, generating significant employment opportunities, and serving medical patients with high-quality cannabis products,” he said.

If fully approved, Aurora and Cherubino will be allowed to build a complete start-to-finish manufacturing line for Maltese medical cannabis

The application includes the construction of a hybrid cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution facility, with operations to be carried out by Aurora Malta. Aurora will be the majority stakeholder in this venture.

The manufacturing process will involve every step needed in the creation of medical cannabis, from growing it to processing it into oil to creating other derivative products.

The company will also be allocated land to construct the facility by Malta Industrial Parks Ltd, and it will be designed by Aurora Larssen Projects Ltd alongside additional local expertise.

Of course, all cultivation and processing operations will have to comply with European Union Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), but if all goes to plan, Aurora Malta plans to serve both the domestic market as well as the European market, and would be the first movers in the burgeoning Maltese cannabis industry.

Do you think this is the next step forward in Malta’s growing cannabis industry?

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Johnathan Cilia

Johnathan is an award-winning Maltese journalist interested in social justice, politics, minority issues, music and food. Follow him at @supreofficialmt on Instagram, and send him news, food and music stories at [email protected]