185 total submissions for the 24 Ohio Medical Marijuana Cultivation Licenses
Ohio has received a total of 185 applications for the 24 Tier I & Tier II licenses to grow cannabis under the Ohio State’s new Medical Marijuana Program. The Ohio Commerce Department has released the business names, contact names and desired licenses of the applicants, but not their proposed locations or any other details yet. This list doesn’t include names of the principals or investors backing each proposal or locations where the applicants want to grow. The department has declined to release further application information at this time.
Republican Gov. John Kasich signed a law more than a year ago in June of 2016, allowing medical marijuana to be prescribed under 20 certain conditions to patients suffering one or more of these qualifying medical conditions.
The Ohio Department of Commerce released a list of 185 applicants for medical marijuana cultivator licenses for both Tier I & Tier II. The application deadline for Ohio’s 24 licenses was Friday, June 30th 2017.
There were 109 submissions for the 12 “Tier I” Cultivation Licenses. Each license allows the facility to grow medical marijuana in up to, 25,000 square feet of space. The application fee for Tier I was $20,000 with the annual license fee being $180,000. The Ohio State Medical Marijuana Program also received 76 submissions for the 12 “Tier II” Cultivation Licenses that will also be awarded. Each Tier II License allows for up to, 3,000 square feet of growing space and Tier II application fee was $2,000 with an annual license fee of $18,000.
It will also license 40 processors that will make marijuana oils, tinctures, patches and edible products allowed by law, 60 dispensaries and an unknown number of testing labs.
Ohio will award cultivator licenses based on a 100 point system focusing on how their businesses plans will grow cannabis, staff and secure their facilities and comply with state regulations and also if they have any past industry experience.
Three companies – ICann Consulting of Ohio, B&B Grow Solutions of Illinois and Meade & Wing of Arizona – will assist state MMJ regulators in scoring the applications, according to the Dispatch. Applications will be judged on criteria that include finances, operations and security.
The estimated cost of opening a facility runs from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of millions. Yet that hasn’t deterred local business owners, minorities or investors from California to Pennsylvania from applying. Looking at the list there seems to be quite a few of investors from outside of Ohio, a major thorn in the side of Ohio’s application process. Having some of the biggest backlash from the citizens of Ohio who demanded that being an Ohio resident was a requirement to obtaining an Ohio Medical Marijuana License. But sadly this seems to have fallen on deaf, Ohio legislator ears.
With so much at stake, groups have scouted medical professors and hired seasoned consultants to boost their chances. Though many are keeping quiet right now as they did not want to jeopardize their applications.
Ohio’s marijuana program stipulates that 15 percent of licenses must go to a minority-owned group — black, Hispanic, Asian or Native American. Legal experts have questioned whether the quota would stand in court, though no legal challenge has been filed to date.
As soon as any more information is known we will update you as soon as possible. Once some of the licensee holders are announced, we will also get you some behind the scenes interviews and more with them!
Stay tuned!