Medical marijuana may soon be growing in Collier County if a prominent local company follows through on its plan to build a medical marijuana treatment center.
The Barron Collier Companies wants to build the center on land off State Road 29 and State Road 82 near Immokalee.
A couple miles away from Immokalee sits the piece of land which is nearly 70 acres and owned by the Barron Collier Companies. The company plans to build a medical marijuana treatment center and many people here say they’re ready for that to happen.
“I certainly voted for it. I think it offers a lot of good opportunities,” Bonita Springs resident Collin Armstrong said.
The Barron Collier Companies wants to build a treatment center to both grow and cultivate the plant. Medical marijuana passed in Florida in 2016, but there are no growing or distribution facilities in Collier County. Some parents want it to stay that way.
“I don’t want my kids having more exposure. They get access to it through a lot of things already. The less is better,” Naples resident Carl Suarez said.
Right now there is a moratorium here in Collier County on medical marijuana dispensing facilities but the Barron Collier companies say they aren’t going to do that. They plan on bringing the marijuana to licensed dispensaries or sending it straight to the patients. There will be no dispensing from this location.
“If marijuana is going to be out there, it might as well be controlled. I’m sure there are a lot of securities out there that will be implemented,” Armstrong said.
Barron Collier Companies is already applying for a medical marijuana treatment facility license. In order to do that, they have to have a letter from Collier County saying the county has no legal objection to the treatment center. On Tuesday, commissioners are scheduled to do that since the land is not within 500 feet of a school.
