Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
A Johnstown marijuana business narrowly missed being selected by the state of Ohio to run a marijuana farm to grow medical marijuana.
Apeks Supercritical, which manufactures equipment used in the medical marijuana industry, was one of the investors in Ohio Grown Therapies LLC.
Ohio Grown Therapies was one of 109 applicants to run Ohio's marijuana farms, allowing them to build a space up to 25,000 square feet for the grow. The state selected 12 businesses last week to run those farms.
Andy Joseph, the CEO of Apeks, said the application of Ohio Grown Therapies finished 13th in the state's scoring of applicants.
"We're obviously disappointed and wish we'd done better," Joseph said. "Thirteenth, that's tough. A tough pill to swallow."
The competition was high for the spots, which guarantee a piece of the new industry's profits.
At least one applicant is challenging the selections. CannAscend Chairman and CEO, Jimmy Gould, who supported the failed ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana, said he has begun "a full-throated challenge of the selection process."
Ohio officials were under pressure to get the selection right. Ohio voters firmly rejected a ballot initiative that allowed businesses to pick their own locations to grow marijuana.
Aware of that scrutiny, Ohio Department of Commerce selected three companies — iCann Consulting, B&B Grow Solutions and Meade & Wing — to score marijuana farms based on business plans, quality assurance, security and finances. The names of applicants were withheld from the scorers to ensure the selection was fair and unbiased.
The process has drawn heavy scrutiny after it was revealed that one of the consultants hired to grade license applications is a convicted drug dealer. That prompted officials, including Ohio Auditor Dave Yost, Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor and Rep. Larry Householder, R-Glenford, to re-examine the process used to select the cultivators.
"I am outraged that a convicted drug dealer played a major role in determining who was suitable to receive a license,'' Taylor said in a statement. "At a minimum, the integrity of the process has been called into question and it is unconscionable to imagine that this process would be allowed to continue until we have a full reckoning."
Joseph said it's hard to know if the selections were not judged fairly because of the consultant's criminal history.
"Obviously, we lost and we'll be scrutinizing our scores," Joseph said. "There really isn't a ton of information to go off of at this point. Just not enough insight into the inner workings of the process."
Joseph said he will also be seeking a processor license. The processor applications are due Friday, and Joseph said, the winners likely announced in March or April. Apeks manufactures equipment used in the medical marijuana industry.
"Our goal has always been to be a processor," Joseph said. "That's where our experience is. It gives us the ability to help out our equipment manufacturing business. As a processor, we'd be able to use the equipment we manufacture."
Joseph said the lack of a cultivator license should not affect the application to be a processor, but it would make the processing work more challenging if they are chosen.
"We chose to go after a cultivator license to make the processing application more stable, because we'd have direct access to our own material," Joseph said. "We'd have to encourage cultivators to send us their feed stock."
Ohio passed its medical pot law last year. Ohio-grown marijuana for eligible medical conditions should be available by September 2018. Until then, patients can seek marijuana from other states where the drug is legal.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article:
Author: Bethany Bruner and Kent Mallett
Contact: Contact Us | newarkadvocate.com
Photo Credit: Seth Nidever
Website: The Newark Advocate
Apeks Supercritical, which manufactures equipment used in the medical marijuana industry, was one of the investors in Ohio Grown Therapies LLC.
Ohio Grown Therapies was one of 109 applicants to run Ohio's marijuana farms, allowing them to build a space up to 25,000 square feet for the grow. The state selected 12 businesses last week to run those farms.
Andy Joseph, the CEO of Apeks, said the application of Ohio Grown Therapies finished 13th in the state's scoring of applicants.
"We're obviously disappointed and wish we'd done better," Joseph said. "Thirteenth, that's tough. A tough pill to swallow."
The competition was high for the spots, which guarantee a piece of the new industry's profits.
At least one applicant is challenging the selections. CannAscend Chairman and CEO, Jimmy Gould, who supported the failed ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana, said he has begun "a full-throated challenge of the selection process."
Ohio officials were under pressure to get the selection right. Ohio voters firmly rejected a ballot initiative that allowed businesses to pick their own locations to grow marijuana.
Aware of that scrutiny, Ohio Department of Commerce selected three companies — iCann Consulting, B&B Grow Solutions and Meade & Wing — to score marijuana farms based on business plans, quality assurance, security and finances. The names of applicants were withheld from the scorers to ensure the selection was fair and unbiased.
The process has drawn heavy scrutiny after it was revealed that one of the consultants hired to grade license applications is a convicted drug dealer. That prompted officials, including Ohio Auditor Dave Yost, Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor and Rep. Larry Householder, R-Glenford, to re-examine the process used to select the cultivators.
"I am outraged that a convicted drug dealer played a major role in determining who was suitable to receive a license,'' Taylor said in a statement. "At a minimum, the integrity of the process has been called into question and it is unconscionable to imagine that this process would be allowed to continue until we have a full reckoning."
Joseph said it's hard to know if the selections were not judged fairly because of the consultant's criminal history.
"Obviously, we lost and we'll be scrutinizing our scores," Joseph said. "There really isn't a ton of information to go off of at this point. Just not enough insight into the inner workings of the process."
Joseph said he will also be seeking a processor license. The processor applications are due Friday, and Joseph said, the winners likely announced in March or April. Apeks manufactures equipment used in the medical marijuana industry.
"Our goal has always been to be a processor," Joseph said. "That's where our experience is. It gives us the ability to help out our equipment manufacturing business. As a processor, we'd be able to use the equipment we manufacture."
Joseph said the lack of a cultivator license should not affect the application to be a processor, but it would make the processing work more challenging if they are chosen.
"We chose to go after a cultivator license to make the processing application more stable, because we'd have direct access to our own material," Joseph said. "We'd have to encourage cultivators to send us their feed stock."
Ohio passed its medical pot law last year. Ohio-grown marijuana for eligible medical conditions should be available by September 2018. Until then, patients can seek marijuana from other states where the drug is legal.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article:
Author: Bethany Bruner and Kent Mallett
Contact: Contact Us | newarkadvocate.com
Photo Credit: Seth Nidever
Website: The Newark Advocate
