Sri Lanka is to launch its first official cannabis plantation to supply the traditional medicine market and export to the U.S., said Rajitha Senaratne, the country’s health minister. The 100-acre cannabis farm would ensure a regular, high quality supply.

The minister said there was a high demand in the U.S. for alternative medicine, which is used to manufacture tranquilizers and painkillers. The farm would be able to produce over 25 tons a year and the production would be under the military protection.

“There were complaints from many medical practitioners that they don’t get good quality cannabis for their preparation as it is a vital ingredient in the preparation of traditional medicine,” Senaratne said.

Cannabis is the only drug that is grown domestically in Sri Lanka. According to a report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, this occurs in mostly the drier parts of the country’s Eastern and the Southern provinces. The estimated land area under cannabis cultivation is about 1,200 acres. The UNODC also estimated the number of cannabis users in the country is about 600,000.

This government-grown cannabis would be used by the estimated 16,000 locally registered ayurvedic patients. However, the health department isn’t scared of overproducing for Sri Lanka’s patient population. The major hole in this plan consists in exporting cannabis to the U.S., which is illegal, as long as the federal government regulates trade and considers cannabis to be a Schedule I drug.