Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
After nearly a decade of fighting for liberalized marijuana laws, David Overholt is hoping to cash in.
As Michigan appears ready to expand the medical marijuana industry and, possibly, legalize recreational marijuana use, Overholt has put his 82-acre farm on the market for $2 million. That's far more than the $2,000 to $3,000 per acre most farmers are getting for their land and farms in Montcalm County.
Overholt, who has championed "compassion clubs" and has been in legal hot water over the past decade, has no ordinary farm at 4716 Derby Road outside the village of Sidney.
Behind the two-story frame house that's set far back from the road, there's a wire-enclosed outdoor garden that includes eight 32-foot-by-32-foot "rooms" designed to grow medical marijuana under optimal growing conditions.
Overholt says he has leased each "room" for $10,000 a year to persons who are licensed to grow medical marijuana under the law approved by voters in 2008.
He expects the market to explode next year if voters loosen the restrictions on marijuana use by passing a ballot proposal allowing for recreational marijuana.
Meanwhile, the state is allowing for the expansion of the growth, packaging and sale of marijuana under the Medical Marihuana Facilities Act the legislature approved in 2016.
Under the new law, a five-member state board will decide who gets licenses to grow marijuana, to transport it, to process it, to sell it or to provide safety compliance.
The licenses will be granted in local communities that decide to permit marijuana farming. Sidney Township, where Overholt's farm is located, recently opted out of allowing any licenses.
Overholt says he hopes the township will be convinced to reverse its decision. If not, Overholt says he hopes to replace the recalcitrant township board members in next year's elections.
The new licensing process is expected to create a new industry with mass growing operations in a field where "caregivers" were previously restricted to five patients and no more than 12 plants per patient.
Claiming there are 1,800 licensed growers in Montcalm County, Overholt says many of his neighbors with "caregiver" licenses are poised to raise their production levels when the new rules are adopted and if recreational marijuana use is allowed by voters in 2018.
Overholt, a Gulf War veteran and Steelcase retiree, says he became a proponent of medical marijuana after it helped freed him from the Oxycontin he took to alleviate back and neck injuries he suffered in the Army.
Starting as a caregiver with a handful of plants in his basement, Overholt has become a passionate advocate for marijuana, seeing it not only as an alternative medicine, but a means of lifting Montcalm County out of poverty after the closure of its appliance industry in the 1990s.
Today, Overholt rattles off marijuana strains with names like "Girl Scout Cookie," "Catatonic" and "West Coast Diesel," describing which diseases they are most effecting in treating. "Very few of the plants I grow anymore are for getting high," he says.
Overholt defends his $2 million asking price on the basis of the cash flow that he says can be generated if his farm becomes a full-fledged growing, processing and packaging operation for marijuana.
Aside from the enclosed garden, Overholt says his house and farm building are set up to process, package and distribute marijuana on a large scale. He says he has enough capacity to "stack" three marijuana-growing licenses on his farm.
That would allow the cultivation of up to 4,500 plants and the co-location of other processing and packaging operations in the big red pole barn in which Overholt once stored hay. Overholt's basement includes marijuana drying and cleaning equipment.
According to the listing with Realtor Ethan Dozeman, Overholt also will help the buyer get the necessary licenses and permits they need to legally raise marijuana. Overholt also owns AAA Hydroponics and doctor's offices in Sheridan and Grand Rapids to dispense medical marijuana cards for patients.
After he sells his farm, Overholt says he plans to move to Oregon, where recreational marijuana is legal and he owns part of a growing operation.
"I'm 60 years old," he says. "I want to enjoy my life a little bit."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Michigan man selling marijuana farm with an asking price of $2M | MLive.com
Author: Jim Harger
Contact: MLive contacts, services and support | MLive Contacts - MLive.com
Photo Credit: Chris Dillmann
Website: Michigan Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - MLive.com
As Michigan appears ready to expand the medical marijuana industry and, possibly, legalize recreational marijuana use, Overholt has put his 82-acre farm on the market for $2 million. That's far more than the $2,000 to $3,000 per acre most farmers are getting for their land and farms in Montcalm County.
Overholt, who has championed "compassion clubs" and has been in legal hot water over the past decade, has no ordinary farm at 4716 Derby Road outside the village of Sidney.
Behind the two-story frame house that's set far back from the road, there's a wire-enclosed outdoor garden that includes eight 32-foot-by-32-foot "rooms" designed to grow medical marijuana under optimal growing conditions.
Overholt says he has leased each "room" for $10,000 a year to persons who are licensed to grow medical marijuana under the law approved by voters in 2008.
He expects the market to explode next year if voters loosen the restrictions on marijuana use by passing a ballot proposal allowing for recreational marijuana.
Meanwhile, the state is allowing for the expansion of the growth, packaging and sale of marijuana under the Medical Marihuana Facilities Act the legislature approved in 2016.
Under the new law, a five-member state board will decide who gets licenses to grow marijuana, to transport it, to process it, to sell it or to provide safety compliance.
The licenses will be granted in local communities that decide to permit marijuana farming. Sidney Township, where Overholt's farm is located, recently opted out of allowing any licenses.
Overholt says he hopes the township will be convinced to reverse its decision. If not, Overholt says he hopes to replace the recalcitrant township board members in next year's elections.
The new licensing process is expected to create a new industry with mass growing operations in a field where "caregivers" were previously restricted to five patients and no more than 12 plants per patient.
Claiming there are 1,800 licensed growers in Montcalm County, Overholt says many of his neighbors with "caregiver" licenses are poised to raise their production levels when the new rules are adopted and if recreational marijuana use is allowed by voters in 2018.
Overholt, a Gulf War veteran and Steelcase retiree, says he became a proponent of medical marijuana after it helped freed him from the Oxycontin he took to alleviate back and neck injuries he suffered in the Army.
Starting as a caregiver with a handful of plants in his basement, Overholt has become a passionate advocate for marijuana, seeing it not only as an alternative medicine, but a means of lifting Montcalm County out of poverty after the closure of its appliance industry in the 1990s.
Today, Overholt rattles off marijuana strains with names like "Girl Scout Cookie," "Catatonic" and "West Coast Diesel," describing which diseases they are most effecting in treating. "Very few of the plants I grow anymore are for getting high," he says.
Overholt defends his $2 million asking price on the basis of the cash flow that he says can be generated if his farm becomes a full-fledged growing, processing and packaging operation for marijuana.
Aside from the enclosed garden, Overholt says his house and farm building are set up to process, package and distribute marijuana on a large scale. He says he has enough capacity to "stack" three marijuana-growing licenses on his farm.
That would allow the cultivation of up to 4,500 plants and the co-location of other processing and packaging operations in the big red pole barn in which Overholt once stored hay. Overholt's basement includes marijuana drying and cleaning equipment.
According to the listing with Realtor Ethan Dozeman, Overholt also will help the buyer get the necessary licenses and permits they need to legally raise marijuana. Overholt also owns AAA Hydroponics and doctor's offices in Sheridan and Grand Rapids to dispense medical marijuana cards for patients.
After he sells his farm, Overholt says he plans to move to Oregon, where recreational marijuana is legal and he owns part of a growing operation.
"I'm 60 years old," he says. "I want to enjoy my life a little bit."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Michigan man selling marijuana farm with an asking price of $2M | MLive.com
Author: Jim Harger
Contact: MLive contacts, services and support | MLive Contacts - MLive.com
Photo Credit: Chris Dillmann
Website: Michigan Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - MLive.com
