Pubdate: Wed, 11 Jun 2014
Source: Daily Review Atlas (Monmouth, IL)
Copyright: 2014 Review Atlas
Contact:  http://www.reviewatlas.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4186
Author: Jake Bolitho

MEDICAL MARIJUANA GROUP SEEKS SUPPORT IN WARREN COUNTY

MONMOUTH - A proposed medical marijuana growing facility near
Roseville does not require the support of local officials, but a
Warren County landowner looking to start up the business could still
benefit from it.

Other cultivation center applications are expected within Illinois
State Police District 14, but only one license may be granted by the
state under the medical marijuana law signed by Gov. Pat Quinn in 2013.

The law - considered by some to be the most restrictive medicinal
cannabis act in the nation - allows one growing location per district.
ISP District 14 encompasses Warren, McDonough, Henderson, Fulton and
Hancock counties.

The business has the potential to be very lucrative, but Warren County
resident Andy Huston said he is looking to share the benefits.

"A portion of our net profits we plan on putting back into the
community," said Huston, who hopes to build a 10,000-foot facility on
his land east of Roseville.

That could mean donations to Warren County community centers and
churches, he said.

The county Building and Grounds Committee resumed discussion on the
matter Wednesday and planned for a special session of the full board
in two weeks. Committee members also heard from representatives with
Salveo Health and Wellness, a Chicago company partnering with Huston.

The group plans to submit its application to the state with or without
a local resolution supporting the venture, said Salveo CEO Alex
Thiersch. However, county support could only strengthen their case.

Reaction among county board members has been generally positive, but
some members will be hearing from Salveo for the first time at its
special meeting later this month.

"I think as a county board, we do not look to keep individuals from
rights as laid out by the state of Illinois," said Building and
Grounds Committee chairman Sean Cavanaugh. "And the state of Illinois
is the decider on this. The counties do not decide."

The cultivation center applicants cleared up some initial concerns
members had regarding the operation - namely the flow of money.

The business will not be cash-only, according to Salveo. Although
major, FDIC-insured banks are at least temporarily out of the question
because of current federal law, the company does conduct its
transactions through other financial institutions.

Additionally, the restrictive nature of Illinois' medical marijuana
law limits approved patients to people with specific -and sometimes
terminal - illnesses such as cancer, HIV and glaucoma.

"Not only is it medical, but it's only for very, very severe medical
conditions," Thiersch said. "Not only that, but what we are going to
be growing, mostly, is a type of strain that literally does not have
much street value at all."

Regardless, security at cultivation centers is tight, he
said.

Salveo projects the creation of about 25 jobs right away, with more
later if the cultivation site expands beyond 10,000 feet.

"If demand picks up, we can have another building put up within three
months," Huston said.
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MAP posted-by: Matt