Now that you will soon be able to get your own Mississippi Marijuana Card, patients are excitedly awaiting the state’s program to finally take effect. Among those patiently waiting are the companies who have applied for licenses to operate their own medical marijuana businesses.
The state began accepting applications for licenses over a month ago, meaning that early applicants should soon find out if they’ll be players in the state’s nascent medical marijuana market, or if they’ll be on the outside looking in. Applicants who have spoken to local media outlets say they’re ready to go, just waiting to do their part to help bring relief to Magnolia State residents.
Medical Marijuana Businesses Eager to Get Started
One such applicant is Todd Franklin, who hopes he will soon be the proprietor of One Source Product outside of Batesville. He told WMC-TV, the NBC affiliate in Memphis, Tennessee, “Once I get that license, I’m ready to go.”
Franklin told WMC that he is now prepared to grow double the medical marijuana as he had planned to produce under his original plan.
“This is double (what I had planned) because why not?” Franklin said to WMC as they toured his facility. He explained that he had already invested so much in a business that he might not even get to open that he thought he might as well maximize the potential profits.
Mississippi’s Medical Marijuana Market Is Costly for Cannabis Businesses
Franklin told WMC that the licensing application cost him over $50,000. He then had to pay $20,000 to the Tennessee Valley Authority to expand the grid to reach the two brand new buildings he built to house his operation.
Franklin said the only thing he’ll have left to do once his license is granted is “put seeds in the ground.” He said he already has orders on standby pending his approval. Once those seeds are planted, Franklin said he will be a mere 120 days away from having products ready to go for dispensary shelves.
Cannabis License Applicants Providing Economic Boost to Local Communities
Prospective cannabis businesses spending large amounts of money on licensing fees and startup costs is already providing a predicted economic shot in the arm for some Mississippi communities.
Melvin Robinson of the Mississippi Cannabis Trade Association told WLBT, Jackson’s NBC affiliate, that there have been economic benefits for communities from new businesses moving in and spending money they hope will lead to them becoming licensed medical marijuana companies.
“You have different places like Jackson that are really investing in making sure this program goes on without a hitch and making sure we can have a very robust program,” Robinson said. “Also, making sure that we can reach patients that need this medicine and businesses can make some money.”
One example of how the state’s young medical marijuana market has already attracted new businesses is Grow Generation, the largest hydroponic supplier in the nation.
The company told WLBT that they have made an investment in a new, 40,000-square-foot facility in Jackson because they believe it will benefit the state, city, and medical marijuana patients.
“We just want to make sure all the patients and taking care of the dispensaries and grows that supply them have all they need to take care of the patients,” David Dudley, a company representative, told WLBT. “That is essentially what we’re going for.”
New Medical Marijuana Businesses Say It’s All About the Patients
Tony Barragan, president of Hemp Ville CBD in Oxford, spoke with the Oxford Eagle about his plans to start a cannabis business, Hybrid Relief, LLC.
“We are growing, extracting, processing and dispensing,” Barragan said. “We’re doing it all— from the sea to the shelf— and we’re even making our own edibles and things like that.”
Barragan said he had to pay a separate application fee for each aspect of this business, and that if he is approved he’ll have to pay separate licensing fees for cultivation, processing, and dispensing operations.
Like David Dudley of Grow Generation, Barragan says his work is all about providing relief to the patients who need it.
“They deserve to have this alternative form of medicine, to treat themselves for whatever ailment it may be,” he told the Eagle. “So, to me, it’s very rewarding. There was all this hard work that was put into this medical marijuana project... So it’s victorious. It’s a victorious feeling.”
Barragan said he was somewhat worried about these new cannabis businesses’ ability to find enough workers amidst the labor shortage, but that he was confident that his company and others would be able to get up and running in time to provide patients with medical marijuana by the beginning of 2023 at the latest.
“I think several of us will be ready to grow on time,” Barragan said. “We’ll have a harvest before the end of the year. I’m thinking it will be the very end of December or the first weeks of January before you see any products on the shelves.”
Melvin Robinson of the Mississippi Cannabis Trade Association agreed that everything seems to be on track for the state’s nascent medical marijuana market.
“We have dozens of companies that have already submitted applications for licensing, thousands of patients that have pre-registered to get their patient card, so I think the program is going pretty smoothly right now,” Robinson told WLBT. “We always tell people to be patient because everyone is new to this. Right now, we haven’t had any hiccups. I think the program can be (really good).”
Don’t Miss Out on the Excitement and Relief! Be a Part of Mississippi’s Medical Marijuana Market!
With new money pouring into the state’s economy and a new source of relief for suffering patients on the way, you don’t want to miss out on the state’s new cannabis market.
Reserve an evaluation online today with one of our compassionate doctors, and we’ll book an appointment for you just as soon as Mississippi’s medical marijuana market is up and running. You won’t have to wait any longer than necessary to start finding relief, and you’ll save $25 off the cost of your evaluation!
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Helping everyone achieve wellness safely and conveniently through increased access to medical marijuana. Our focus on education, inclusion, and acceptance will reduce the stigma for our patients by providing equal access to timely information and compassionate care.
If you have any questions, call us at (833) 781-6635, or simply book a medical marijuana evaluation to start getting relief you can trust today!
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