The tiny Canadian town that marijuana saved

The tiny Canadian town that marijuana saved

Published on 2/20/19

During the recession in 2008 many cities were seeing a loss in jobs, homes and quality of life. These same problems were hitting the city of Smiths Falls, Ontario. The city closed down 3 factories including their Hershey's factory which was the largest in Canada. At the lowest point the city had experienced in years the city looked to new opportunities for hope and in 2013 they found an investment and took a chance on Canopy Growth Corporation, a medical marijuana startup promising 150 jobs to the town. It wasn't long before recreational cannabis became legalized in Canada and overhauled the business. The 1 million orders shipped in the first 4 years in business doubled in one month after recreational cannabis began and now the company is the largest cannabis company worldwide with over 3,000 employees. The company has been valuated at $20 billion and the town has experienced a massive regrowth in their local economy. 

“Find me another employer in North America that started a business from scratch and hired 1,500 people in the last few years. I don't know if they exist. They certainly don't exist in Ontario,” he said.

No matter your feelings about legalizing the drug, Smiths Falls is a town saved by weed.

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