AmeriCann is beginning construction on its Massachusetts Medical Cannabis Center in Freetown, which will manufacture and process marijuana products for the expanding Bay State medical and recreational market.

The 30,000-square-foot first phase, at an estimated cost of $6 million, is part of a larger project approved for nearly 1 million square feet of cultivation and processing space. The 52-acre Campanelli Drive parcel was previously owned by Boston Beer Co., which sold it to AmeriCann in 2016 for $4.5 million.

Since Massachusetts legalized medical cannabis in 2012, most of the cultivation facilities have been built in converted warehouses using artificial light. AmeriCann says its greenhouse-style facility is designed to cut utility bills and construction costs while encouraging the growth of higher-quality plants.

A groundbreaking ceremony was scheduled today for the first phase, which is expected to be completed in spring 2019.

The second phase would include a 350,000-square-foot building with space for two cultivators and central processing space, CEO Tim Keogh said. Pending local and state approvals, groundbreaking is scheduled for January.

AmeriCann would operate the 40,000-square-foot processing facility, capable of generating several hundred pounds of a day of products including flowers, infused beverages, lotions and extracts for vape pens, Keogh said.

Campanelli Construction is the general contractor and CBRE is the project manager for the MMCC.