SOUTHERN ILLINOIS—With the distribution of medical marijuana on the horizon in the state of Illinois, a number of municipalities downstate are frantically adding their cities to the lists of those that will be considered for selection for one of 22 Medical Marijuana Farm sitings.
However, it’s unlikely that 22 facilities—in reflection of Illinois’ 22 state police districts, which shows just how regulated the situation will be—are going to be enough to support the demand, mainly because the grow operations aren’t that large, and are going to be in enclosures in order to prevent random burglarizing and thieves taking off with weed.
Add the fact that there are only going to be 60 approved facilities to distribute the medical cannabis—and that most of those will be north of I-70—and downstate Illinois cities and counties are now faced with a scramble of investors and entrepreneurs who are courting them to site a grow operation on publicly-owned property.
At recent public meetings, these entrepreneurs, most often represented by attorneys (as there will be significant legal wrangling going on in the selection, siting, construction and operating process) have been giving their pitches as the state moves toward an industry that could begin to make a dent in Illinois’ budget crisis; but, more importantly, could prove to locals what science has known (but has been suppressed from telling) for millennia: that cannabis has health treatment properties that far outweigh the value of any pharmaceutical, and that are non-addictive and non-toxic to even the most desperately-ill of patients.
Taken under consideration in Marion
The Marion City Council meeting held June 23 exemplifies just what’s going on in the push to get production of what’s been so illegal for so long to “get growing.”
At that meeting, Mayor Bob Butler and Councilman Doug Patton were open-minded about a Medical Marijuana Farm possibly coming to their area of southern Illinois.
Mt. Vernon attorney Stephen Osborne had submitted a letter to the Marion City Council representing “a group of Illinois businessmen who own and operate farms in Illinois and in the Midwest and who are interested in creating one or more businesses throughout the state, including possibly this area.”
The letter, dated June 12, further read:
“It is expected that applications for licenses to operate these cultivation centers will be accepted beginning this Fall. Temporary regulations have been issued by the State. I understand that twenty-two licenses are available and are expected to be issued throughout Illinois. One such license is allocated to each Illinois State Police District. Obviously, this industry will be highly regulated by the State. The capital requirements and barriers to entry into the business are considerable. This group of businessmen expects to file multiple applications for licenses in multiple ISP Districts. They are currently researching potential locations for which they might file applications for licenses.
“The state estimates that demand for medical cannabis will be considerable. It is conceivable that a grow site could generate several million dollars of revenue annually. My clients are aware that they will be required to work with the local community to garner support. They look forward to meeting with various groups to determine how best to work together so all can benefit from this project.
“My clients have asked me to canvass local municipalities and counties to determine whether the respective locales have considered this newly authorized industry and the level of interest in having such a business locate in your community. It is expected that a 30,000 square foot facility would be built that would employ between 12 and 30 permanent employees with future growth expected thereafter. At least 15 acres will be needed but more ground would be preferred to allow for future expansion opportunities.
“Given the extensive application process and the planning needed to complete that process, time is somewhat of the essence. If your community has serious interest in such an enterprise locating to our area, along with the jobs and tax base it will provide, I am available to discuss this matter with you at your convenience. Please contact me if you would like to do so. Thank you for your considerations.”
Grayville on board with old prison site
Marion, however, isn’t the only city in southern Illinois vying for siting of a weed farm.
The City of Grayville has also tossed its name into the hat, naturally giving, as their cause for siting, the albatross that’s been hanging around their collective necks for the past 14 years: the property that the state abandoned after they decided, under the Rod Blagojevich gubernatorial administration, not to site yet another George Ryan administration prison complex there.
Ryan announced in early 2001 that the prison, his last of about five that were planned during the final years of his administration, was going to be sited at Grayville and work began in earnest, with the property being transferred from ownership by the Ward family to possession of the state. Construction then also began in earnest, with union labor providing land leveling, infrastructure for utilities (electric, gas and water) to come in and plumbing (sewer) to go out, and the beginnings of berms and other barricading structures (chain-link fences among them) being erected.
However, Blago pulled the plug on the construction only a few months after taking office, in April 2003. Since that time, the city has tried desperately to get something done with the site, pouring untold hundreds of thousands of dollars into development commissions and other agencies advertising the availability of the abandoned 20 acres.
During the week prior to Marion’s City Council meeting, Grayville Mayor Joe Bisch told media that an “unnamed growing company” contacted city officials and indicated they were interested in discussing with the city the possibility of siting a grow op at the empty site at the I-64 plaza.
The city has already signed a letter of intent to negotiate with the company (likely represented by Osborne) about the siting.
Fairfield, too! And some drawbacks most people don’t know about
And the city of Fairfield has also gotten in on the scramble, discussing the possibility of a siting at a location south of that town on June 24 at a city council meeting that evening.
Fairfield Mayor Chuck Griswold told the public that the site in question is located just south of the city’s sewer plant and consists of about ten acres “in a rural area away from any residents.”
The fact that he felt the need to point out “away from any residents” resonates with the shift in attitude many folks have taken on about marijuana in general, especially in Wayne County, where it seems that many diverse religious organizations have a tendency to “run things” going on there (despite the abject hypocrisy consistently shown to be a part of that sentiment.)
Both Grayville and Fairfield officials, of course, are tickled at the prospect of the siting of a medical marijuana grow op as “bringing in jobs to the community.”
However, that aspect of the situation is wholly dependent upon a lot of different propositions; and much like a siting-of-a-prison prospect, is fraught with misapprehensions: Construction labor in a state-funded project such as a prison or pot grow op would be provided by union employees, not by local contractors, said union employees already having a job.
And the 12-20 employees of the grow facility itself—just like prison guards and other employees of a prison—wouldn’t necessarily be selected locally, but would likely be selected statewide from a pool stringently screened and brought in from other locations.
This would make, unfortunately, a considerable amount of sense, as the worker’s pool in many downstate counties has gotten contaminated in recent decades due to so many people having some sort of criminal record (thanks to the state burdening itself with so many “laws,” among those, cannabis crimes), and, conversely, because of those on the opposite end of the spectrum still maintaining the view that marijuana is somehow inherently evil, they would not be likely candidates to put in applications for employment at such a facility.
Shifts in attitude; information, and costs
The shift in attitude toward cannabis cultivation continues, however. That which was illegal and thus “bad” in previous years is now viewed as a money-making proposition that could bring the state out of the dire economic slump its facing and, in turn, perhaps turn around an ailing economy of a municipality the size of Marion (17,300), Fairfield (5,100) or even little Grayville (1,650).
And all of that stands in stark contrast to the REAL reason marijuana should be decriminalized and available for public use: health.
The fact that any type of cannabis plant can grow in the wild with little maintenance (hemp seeds, as an example, have omega oils and protein content unparalleled by other such food), and, when cultivated (male and female plants) used medicinally for every possible ailment being suffered by mankind, seems to be overlooked in the rush to be the place to get to grow what God put on the planet for a reason.
But, despite the name of the new law that allows for cultivation and distribution—Illinois’ Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis—the state of Illinois continues to prove that it’s anything but “compassionate,” considering the hoops a person has to jump through to prove they’re deserving of the state’s ‘compassion,’ and the costs associated with seeking medical clearance to obtain a medical marijuana card ($80 to $170 per visit, with four or more visits to an approved clinic being required), the cost of bearing the card itself ($100)…and of course, the cost of the weed (2.5 ounces in a 14-day period).
Costs of applying just to be selected as a grower are prohibitive, too; Disclosure will have more on that aspect of the law in upcoming editions as the state moves toward enacting the law in full.