Scientists from an Ontario laboratory are developing what can be described as the world’s first beer to be brewed from cannabis. Most cannabis-infused beers that are currently on the market are brewed from barley and infused with cannabis oil but this beer is brewed from the stalks, stem and roots of the plant.

The company is called Province Brands, a startup based in Toronto.

“I don’t think there was anywhere else in the world where we could do this business,” said Dooma Wendschuh of Province Brands. “Canada is already leading the world in creating an industry around medical cannabis and we expect them to continue to lead the world in trading and industry around adult-use cannabis.”

Wendschuh is originally from Miami and moved to Toronto in 2016 to take advantage of Canada’s impending legalization and to create an alternative beverage to alcohol.

“The idea came from thinking, can we create something that can serve the role that alcohol serves in our society, and can we do that using this monumental sea change that is happening in our world right now?”

While marijuana will be legal across Canada on October 17, edibles and cannabis beverages will not be legal until at least the following year. The government believes it is necessary to do more research on these products before they are made legal.

It’s estimated that edibles and other cannabis-related products will be works anywhere between $12 and $22 billion once they’re made legal. At first there were a lot of doubts that cannabis could be brewed into beer but after working with a chemist was able to find the right combination of hops, water, yeast and of course, cannabis, to make it work.

“The flavour is dry, savoury, less sweet than a typical beer flavour,” said Wendschuh. “The beer hits you very quickly, which is not common for a marijuana edible. The company plans to build a $50 million facility that Wendschuh hopes will be the first cannabis brewery. They hope to create a variety of flavours that will mimic the traditional alcohol lagers, stouts and ales.

This cannabis beer also creates an avenue in which cannabis waste product is being used.

“We take them off the grower’s hands, saving them the cost of hiring a licensed disposal company to dispose of them,” said Wendschuh.  He believes that this beer will be healthier and safer than traditional alcohol but that people still need to use caution when consuming them.