A decades-old Baldwin County nursery is hoping to be one of the lucky few businesses licensed to grow, process, transport and sell medical cannabis in the state.
Like many others, Ellis Ollinger, president and CEO of Flowerwood Medical Cannabis LLC in Loxley, is waiting to see if his firm will be one of those chosen next month for a fully integrated license from the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. He believes Flowerwood Nursery, which opened in Loxley in 1938, has a leg up on the competition, given the success of other nurseries in securing licenses for Florida’s medical cannabis program.
“We saw other nurseries in other states, even some we compete with, have success obtaining licenses to bring in medical cannabis,” he said. “We were told nurseries are very good at it. There are 38 applicants [for integrated licenses] and we feel confident. We know we’re qualified and we feel if the commission follows its rules … we should get a license.”
If it obtains one of the five integrated licenses awarded by the commission next month, the nursery known for decorative shrubbery would add a cannabis growing facility on-site in Loxley. Ollinger said the license would also allow Flowerwood to open a dispensary in the town.
The 700-acre nursery that employs 400 people has plenty of space for the secured greenhouse needed to accommodate a medical cannabis program, according to Ollinger. Flowerwood Vice President Kevin Northrup said in addition to having everything required for security to apply for the license, the company has an agreement with the Loxley Police Department for added security at the site.
Northrup said the company has been working with state regulators for three to four years on medical cannabis. They even participated in a study on cannabinoid oil when the state program was in its infancy. Northrup said the participation was a way for the nursery to “diversify.”
Ollinger and Northrup have a concern shared by many other applicants — the power and money behind what they referred to as multi-state operations. Many Alabama farmers fear their applications will be set aside in favor of businesses doing similar things with medical cannabis already in Mississippi, Florida and other states.
“The law was written for Alabama farmers, but a lot of these applications are a combination of multi-state operations and outside business interests,” Ollinger said. “It’s a real concern.”
The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission declined to comment on this issue, citing the awarding of licenses at a meeting on June 12, spokeswoman Brittany Peters wrote in an email.
Also citing the commission’s enabling legislation, Peters wrote, successful applicants must show “records indicating that a majority of ownership is attributable to an individual or individuals with proof of residence in this state for a continuous period of no less than 15 years preceding the application date.”
The same section requires those attempting to win a cultivator or an integrated license to have 15 years of experience in horticulture or agronomic production.
Dale Liesch is assistant managing editor and a reporter with Lagniappe. He can be reached at dale@lagniappemobile.com
Here's the problem with medical marijuana as opposed to products derived from legal hemp. Medical marijuana is still illegal federally. And possession of a firearm is prohibited if you use illegal drugs (that's the law the feds used to put Steve Nodine in prison). So if you have your "legal" medical marijuana card, you are not supposed to own or posses a firearm. To make matters worse, if you get that medical marijuana card you get put in a database, naturally, and so it would be pretty easy for the Feds to track who is using it. The feds and the states need to get in sync on this.
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(1) comment
Here's the problem with medical marijuana as opposed to products derived from legal hemp. Medical marijuana is still illegal federally. And possession of a firearm is prohibited if you use illegal drugs (that's the law the feds used to put Steve Nodine in prison). So if you have your "legal" medical marijuana card, you are not supposed to own or posses a firearm. To make matters worse, if you get that medical marijuana card you get put in a database, naturally, and so it would be pretty easy for the Feds to track who is using it. The feds and the states need to get in sync on this.
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