Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
With the comment period on the state's medical marijuana law coming to an end last week, Ted Berndt is getting ready for the real push to bring a growing facility to the Washington County Agri-Business.
"We think that (the state) will move fairly quickly with the application process," said Berndt, who added that he has been busy on a number of levels. "We are rounding out our management team, working on grassroots public support, working with consultants on the security, cultivation, lobbying and investment sides of the business."
Berndt has received support for his firm, Compassionate Relief Centers of New York, Inc., to cultivate and process medical cannabis at its facility at 15 Plains Road from a number of local boards.
The town boards of Jackson and White Creek and the village boards in Greenwich and Cambridge all voted unanimously to support the company in resolutions.
The local resolutions all support Berndt's company's bid to get one of the five licenses that will be awarded statewide.
County Attorney Roger Wickes said Friday he is in the process of drafting several possible resolutions for consideration by the County Board of Supervisors Agricultural Planning committee at its Feb. 23 meeting. If the committee approves one of the resolutions, it would be considered by the full board.
Wickes said he will prepare resolutions that endorse the general idea of a facility and one that would specifically endorse Berndt's bid.
"The board members told me to prepare something for them to review, based on the discussion at their last committee meeting," Wickes said. "I expect to give them several options."
Hartford Supervisor Dana Haff said local support is expected to be important for the bidders.
"Just like the casino process, I think local governmental support for a particular grower will be crucial when the state considers where the five licenses will grow," Haff said. "At this point, Ted Berndt is the only person I know of expressing interest in the county."
Berndt said he has already contacted leaders of a labor union that is organizing the workers who will be involved in the medical-marijuana industry.
"We feel pretty good about that," he said. "Most of the out-of-state entities are using proxies. We are speaking directly to the leaders, and we feel pretty good about that."
Berndt said he is trying to gather support wherever he can and will be looking for letters of support from various organizations.
"We are pitching the potential for jobs and taxes and getting the medical marijuana to the patients," he said.
Support elsewhere
In several areas around the state, other local governmental groups have been supporting local medical marijuana proposals.
Plattsburgh's Common Council voted in early February in favor of a resolution that encourages companies in Clinton County to seek permission to grow and sell pot legally. Councilors told the Plattsburgh Press-Republican that they see this as an opportunity to encourage job growth in the city.
On the western end of the state, the Niagara Falls Reporter said all five Lewiston Council members, and Lewiston's State Assemblyman, say they fully support Lewiston Greenhouse LLC, owned in part by the owners of Modern Disposal, being selected as one of five growers statewide of medical marijuana.
The state health department is still finalizing regulations after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Compassionate Care Act in July, legalizing medical marijuana.
The Department of Health will allow up to five organizations the right to operate up to four facilities for growing, manufacturing, distributing and dispensing marijuana for medical use.
The medical marijuana program is expected to be in place by January 2016, but during the comment period, there were a number of public and private meetings on the topic, some of which Berndt attended.
One major concern is that smoking marijuana of the raw cannabis flower is not allowed under the law, and only one of the other 22 states that allow medical marijuana have such a rule. New York's law bars marijuana edibles, allowing for only oil "extracts" that may be vaporized, swallowed in a capsule, or absorbed in the mouth.
The New York regulations are also very specific as to which conditions qualify for use of medical marijuana. These include cancer, HIV/AIDs, Parkinson's Disease, Lou Gehrig's Disease and epilepsy. It also covers complications from medical treatments for those and other diseases.
The problem is not just in New York.
The Boston Globe reported last week that more than two years after voters approved medical marijuana, no facilities have opened because of licensing delays by the state Department of Public Health. Though 15 sites have finally been chosen, the first one won't open at least until late spring. Initially the law envisioned that there would be as many as 35 nonprofit facilities ready by the end of 2013.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Local businessman gets backing on medical marijuana plan
Author: Bill Toscano
Contact: btoscano@poststar.com
Photo Credit: University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy/MCT
Website: PostStar.com - Glens Falls, Saratoga, Lake George NY area news
"We think that (the state) will move fairly quickly with the application process," said Berndt, who added that he has been busy on a number of levels. "We are rounding out our management team, working on grassroots public support, working with consultants on the security, cultivation, lobbying and investment sides of the business."
Berndt has received support for his firm, Compassionate Relief Centers of New York, Inc., to cultivate and process medical cannabis at its facility at 15 Plains Road from a number of local boards.
The town boards of Jackson and White Creek and the village boards in Greenwich and Cambridge all voted unanimously to support the company in resolutions.
The local resolutions all support Berndt's company's bid to get one of the five licenses that will be awarded statewide.
County Attorney Roger Wickes said Friday he is in the process of drafting several possible resolutions for consideration by the County Board of Supervisors Agricultural Planning committee at its Feb. 23 meeting. If the committee approves one of the resolutions, it would be considered by the full board.
Wickes said he will prepare resolutions that endorse the general idea of a facility and one that would specifically endorse Berndt's bid.
"The board members told me to prepare something for them to review, based on the discussion at their last committee meeting," Wickes said. "I expect to give them several options."
Hartford Supervisor Dana Haff said local support is expected to be important for the bidders.
"Just like the casino process, I think local governmental support for a particular grower will be crucial when the state considers where the five licenses will grow," Haff said. "At this point, Ted Berndt is the only person I know of expressing interest in the county."
Berndt said he has already contacted leaders of a labor union that is organizing the workers who will be involved in the medical-marijuana industry.
"We feel pretty good about that," he said. "Most of the out-of-state entities are using proxies. We are speaking directly to the leaders, and we feel pretty good about that."
Berndt said he is trying to gather support wherever he can and will be looking for letters of support from various organizations.
"We are pitching the potential for jobs and taxes and getting the medical marijuana to the patients," he said.
Support elsewhere
In several areas around the state, other local governmental groups have been supporting local medical marijuana proposals.
Plattsburgh's Common Council voted in early February in favor of a resolution that encourages companies in Clinton County to seek permission to grow and sell pot legally. Councilors told the Plattsburgh Press-Republican that they see this as an opportunity to encourage job growth in the city.
On the western end of the state, the Niagara Falls Reporter said all five Lewiston Council members, and Lewiston's State Assemblyman, say they fully support Lewiston Greenhouse LLC, owned in part by the owners of Modern Disposal, being selected as one of five growers statewide of medical marijuana.
The state health department is still finalizing regulations after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Compassionate Care Act in July, legalizing medical marijuana.
The Department of Health will allow up to five organizations the right to operate up to four facilities for growing, manufacturing, distributing and dispensing marijuana for medical use.
The medical marijuana program is expected to be in place by January 2016, but during the comment period, there were a number of public and private meetings on the topic, some of which Berndt attended.
One major concern is that smoking marijuana of the raw cannabis flower is not allowed under the law, and only one of the other 22 states that allow medical marijuana have such a rule. New York's law bars marijuana edibles, allowing for only oil "extracts" that may be vaporized, swallowed in a capsule, or absorbed in the mouth.
The New York regulations are also very specific as to which conditions qualify for use of medical marijuana. These include cancer, HIV/AIDs, Parkinson's Disease, Lou Gehrig's Disease and epilepsy. It also covers complications from medical treatments for those and other diseases.
The problem is not just in New York.
The Boston Globe reported last week that more than two years after voters approved medical marijuana, no facilities have opened because of licensing delays by the state Department of Public Health. Though 15 sites have finally been chosen, the first one won't open at least until late spring. Initially the law envisioned that there would be as many as 35 nonprofit facilities ready by the end of 2013.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Local businessman gets backing on medical marijuana plan
Author: Bill Toscano
Contact: btoscano@poststar.com
Photo Credit: University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy/MCT
Website: PostStar.com - Glens Falls, Saratoga, Lake George NY area news
