CHAMBERSBURG – The local community will get a marijuana growing facility and two medical marijuana dispensaries as a result of decisions made by Pennsylvania’s Department of Health.
DOH has issued a permit to AES Compassionate Care for a growing operation on Wayne Avenue, and last Thursday issued permits to two businesses for dispensaries to be located on Wayne Avenue and Lincoln Way East.
AES Compassionate Care will operate Grassroots Cannabis at 1086 Wayne Avenue in Chambersburg. The vacant building, owned by the Franklin County Area Development Corp., sits on 11 acres beside Interstate 81 at Exit 14.
The corporation was one of 12 to receive grower-processor permits.
Dispensary permits were issued last week to KW Ventures Holdings LLC for a dispensary at 1737 Lincoln Way East and Organic Remedies Inc. for a dispensary at 600 Wayne Avenue.
The Greenhouse Group also grows medical marijuana in Maryland, Nevada and Illinois.
The firm has agreed to buy the building on Wayne Avenue, according to FCADC President Michael Ross.
Ross said the Greenhouse Group is “good at what they do” and expressed confidence they would be able to succeed locally.
“Because of their past experience of having secured licenses in other states, they seem to understand the process and were optimistic of their chances from the beginning,” he said in an interview last month.
“I think this will be a well-run operation”
FCADC is asking $3.7 million for the building, the price the development corporation paid for it in 2013, Ross said.
FCADC bought the 74,000-square-foot building from Bwise Manufacturing and offered Bwise a long-term lease to help the company grow.
Bwise has since moved to a nearby building, the former James River plant, and plans to eventually buy that property.
Not as much is known about the two winners of dispensary permits in Chambersburg, but Ross has said he thinks having both a growing operation and dispensaries will be good for the local economy while providing the medical community with additional treatment options for their patients.
Ross said the newly emerging medical marijuana industry in Pennsylvania stands to have a significant impact on Franklin County and specifically, Chambersburg.
“The ‘grow’ facility at 1086 Wayne Avenue represents a four plus million dollar investment with the potential of creating 50 plus jobs,” he said. “The dispensaries, while not as much of an economic driver, will ensure those individuals locally who can be treated with medical marijuana, will have ready access.”
Organic Remedies is incorporated in Middlesex Township, listing its address as 305 Old Stonehouse Road, Carlisle, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.
The only firm that had publicly announced its intention to seek a medical marijuana dispensary permit in Chambersburg did not make the cut.
Veridis Medicine LLC of York was turned down for a growing permit in York County, and it did not receive a dispensary permit.
The company held a public meeting in February about the proposal and the idea was enthusiastically received by Borough Council. Several potential medical marijuana patients spoke in favor of Veridis’ proposal at that meeting.
In addition to the Chambersburg permits, one grower-processor permit has been issued to Ilera Healthcare in Taylor Township, Fulton County.
A total of 27 dispensary licenses were awarded last week under the state’s new medical marijuana law. Each license allows the recipient to operate three dispensaries but the health department said not all of recipients will have dispensaries at three locations.
License holders have six months to become operational and begin providing medical marijuana to patients.
credit:publicopiniononline.com
