There could soon be more shops selling New Brunswick-grown cannabis products.

Cannabis N.B. has announced a new farm-gate program, in which licensed cannabis producers will be invited to apply for permission to sell their products onsite, where they are grown, the Crown corporation said in a news release.

The program is meant to give local producers a higher profile, as well to "educate customers about their products" and create tourism opportunities, CEO Lori Stickles said.

Rod Wilson of the New Brunswick Craft Cannabis Association said he expects it will be similar to the way wineries can give tours and sell their wine onsite.

"It's an encouraging step in the right direction," Wilson said, noting cannabis producers will be able to market themselves directly to consumers and build brand loyalty.

"It makes the small-scale local cultivators and processors a more viable small-business opportunity," he said.

A number of details remain to be worked out, Wilson noted.

"There will certainly be requirements, such as insurance and security measures" and age verification procedures, he said.

"I imagine it will be very strict."

In addition, Wilson suggested current federal regulations may prevent some craft producers from taking part in the program.

Cannabis N.B. has stipulated that everything sold in farm-gate shops must be grown, produced and packaged onsite.

But those who hold micro-cultivation licences are not permitted to do their own packaging, said Tom Devost of Golden Peak in Dieppe.

Golden Peak currently sends its flowers to another small, local producer called Crystal Cure, for processing.

Crystal Cure's licence could potentially allow it to open a farm-gate shop, said Devost. But he's not sure if it could sell Golden Peak products.

According to a recent report on economic opportunities in the cannabis sector, there are 16 licensed cannabis producers in the province.

Wilson classified about a dozen of them as craft producers. It's not clear how many of them would potentially qualify for the farm-gate program.

Currently, small producers sell their products through Cannabis N.B. and licensed retailers in other jurisdictions.

As to when these shops might open, Cannabis N.B. vice-president of operations Lara Wood said it could be as soon as a month or two from now.

"The timeline really depends on our partners, the conversations we have with them, and what kind of timeline they need to set up in their location," Wood said in an emailed statement.

The CEO of Stewart Farms in the St. Stephen area said he "went into planning mode," as soon as he heard about the farm-gate program.

Tanner Stewart said he plans to begin outdoor growing next year on a 52-acre lot near the Calais border crossing and get a temporary building up as soon as possible.

The main requirement, he said, is proper security, including cameras and a vault.

He has bigger plans for the years to come.

"We want to have a tourist attraction," said Stewart. "When Americans cross that border hopefully we're their first stop."

He believes 10 to 12 producers might be able to take advantage of the program as an additional source of business revenue.

"It means a lot," said Stewart.

He sees it as an opportunity for New Brunswick to catch up with some other provinces. Ontario surpassed 1,000 cannabis retail outlets last week, he said.

"My experience will be incredibly different than Cannabis N.B.'s," he said.

"I think that's the point."

Stewart said he thinks there's still a lot of mystery around cannabis and people will want a chance to see how it grows and find out how it's trimmed, cured and dried.

Other farm-gate locations may end up looking more like breweries than vineyards.