This is the best summary I could come up with:

These samples — destined for mandatory storage, as per Health Canada rules — are all that's left of an expensive business venture on Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula that has literally gone up in smoke.

Hicks's money was used to convert a building once used by the American military as a mess hall, theatre, recreational area and casino into a fortress-like cannabis plant surrounded by a sturdy chain-linked fence topped with barbed wire.

Producers like Argentia Gold have also felt the pinch of what they describe as strict production, distribution and retail regulations, as well as high taxation and continued competition from the traditional black market.

Keating joined Argentia Gold in the later stages, hoping to stop the financial bleeding of about $200,000 per month and save the business, but he admits it was an uphill battle, with plenty of mistakes along the way.

"The portion of my revenue dedicated to regulatory tax burdens is much higher in this industry in comparison to tobacco and alcohol," said Chris Crosbie, chief operating officer of Atlantic Cultivation.

But Bruce Keating admits the picture is not as rosy on the production side of things, where a flood of licensed producers created what he calls a "real saturation in the marketplace."

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