A WA-based metal explorer says it has made a significant step towards breaking into the big-money world of medicinal marijuana production.

Former gold miner International Goldfields Limited recently moved to acquire 85 per cent of cannabis biosciences specialist Winter Garden Biosciences, which has been given approvals and licenses by the Uruguayan government to start planting its first crop.

IGS director David Tasker said Winter Garden now had the ability to import any varieties of hemp or cannabis, without having restrictions on how much it can grow.

The company will eventually manufacture synthetics, patches and tablets for both medicinal and recreational use.

The drug is used to treat terminally ill patients, children with epilepsy, and cancer patients suffering from chemotherapy-related nausea.

"Uruguay is the first nation in the world to legalise the production and sale of non-synthetic cannabis products and Winter Garden has fully entrenched its first-mover advantage with the rapid submission and approval of these licenses,"...