Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
The Shelby County Community Services medical marijuana growing facility has given jobs to disabled people and helped fund the organization that's seen a dwindling supply of state funding, according to its executive director.
For decades, Shelby County Community Services has relied on state and local financial support to provide its mental health and rehabilitation programs. The Illinois government has been slashing psychiatric funding, which has hurt the organization, Executive Director Tom Colclasure said.
But thanks to its 1,550-page application that won them the only District 10 cultivation permit in Feb. 2015, the human services group might see enough revenue from medical cannabis to fund some of its already established programs and add more.
"That's my hope for the future," said Colclasure. "But the competition is fierce between the cultivators."
He said just under 19,000 Illinoisans have been approved for the state's medical marijuana program. But the future, if it ends up like Arizona's 85,000 patients, may be much brighter.
Besides Shelby County, District 10 includes Champaign, Coles, Douglas, Edgar, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt, and Vermilion counties.
At the group's main location at 1810 West South 3rd in Shelbyville, severely disabled workers fill pots with soil before those pots are transferred to the 23,750-square-foot grow facility outside of town. While it would make sense economically to do this at the cultivation center, Colclasure said, the disabled workers need plenty of supervision and direction. Workers with higher functioning disabilities, Colclasure said, trim the plants and do janitorial work at the center.
About 10 disabled workers benefit from Shelby County's grow facility.
"The work provides people dignity," he said. "It gives them personal satisfaction and independence, and it helps normalize them. Plus they get funds to do what they want with."
Disabled residents that SCCS helps do not use medical cannabis themselves, but Colclasure said that could change if the state guardian allows it.
"We don't have any yet," he said, "But that will happen probably soon."
The cultivation center only grows medical marijuana. It distributes the plant as edibles, flowers, suppositories, and oils to dispensaries around the state. Only at a dispensary can medical marijuana be obtained. Last week, a new dispensary opened in Litchfield, Montgomery County, giving Shelby County residents another option besides the dispensary in Effingham.
The Shelby County cultivation center hasn't just given jobs to disabled workers. Other members in the community work with them. For example, almost 40 part-time security guards – mostly city police officers and deputies – guard the facility.
And Colclasure said the facility hasn't just helped locally. He's heard from patients across the state about how their pain-saturated lives have changed since trying the county's products.
"What makes it all worthwhile at this point is the feedback we're getting from people benefiting from the medication," he said.
"We're hearing it all the time. We're known for having the best oils in the state."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Shelby County medical marijuana site provides jobs to disabled | Local News | effinghamdailynews.com
Author: Stan Polanski
Contact: Contact Us | Site | effinghamdailynews.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: effinghamdailynews.com
For decades, Shelby County Community Services has relied on state and local financial support to provide its mental health and rehabilitation programs. The Illinois government has been slashing psychiatric funding, which has hurt the organization, Executive Director Tom Colclasure said.
But thanks to its 1,550-page application that won them the only District 10 cultivation permit in Feb. 2015, the human services group might see enough revenue from medical cannabis to fund some of its already established programs and add more.
"That's my hope for the future," said Colclasure. "But the competition is fierce between the cultivators."
He said just under 19,000 Illinoisans have been approved for the state's medical marijuana program. But the future, if it ends up like Arizona's 85,000 patients, may be much brighter.
Besides Shelby County, District 10 includes Champaign, Coles, Douglas, Edgar, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt, and Vermilion counties.
At the group's main location at 1810 West South 3rd in Shelbyville, severely disabled workers fill pots with soil before those pots are transferred to the 23,750-square-foot grow facility outside of town. While it would make sense economically to do this at the cultivation center, Colclasure said, the disabled workers need plenty of supervision and direction. Workers with higher functioning disabilities, Colclasure said, trim the plants and do janitorial work at the center.
About 10 disabled workers benefit from Shelby County's grow facility.
"The work provides people dignity," he said. "It gives them personal satisfaction and independence, and it helps normalize them. Plus they get funds to do what they want with."
Disabled residents that SCCS helps do not use medical cannabis themselves, but Colclasure said that could change if the state guardian allows it.
"We don't have any yet," he said, "But that will happen probably soon."
The cultivation center only grows medical marijuana. It distributes the plant as edibles, flowers, suppositories, and oils to dispensaries around the state. Only at a dispensary can medical marijuana be obtained. Last week, a new dispensary opened in Litchfield, Montgomery County, giving Shelby County residents another option besides the dispensary in Effingham.
The Shelby County cultivation center hasn't just given jobs to disabled workers. Other members in the community work with them. For example, almost 40 part-time security guards – mostly city police officers and deputies – guard the facility.
And Colclasure said the facility hasn't just helped locally. He's heard from patients across the state about how their pain-saturated lives have changed since trying the county's products.
"What makes it all worthwhile at this point is the feedback we're getting from people benefiting from the medication," he said.
"We're hearing it all the time. We're known for having the best oils in the state."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Shelby County medical marijuana site provides jobs to disabled | Local News | effinghamdailynews.com
Author: Stan Polanski
Contact: Contact Us | Site | effinghamdailynews.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: effinghamdailynews.com
