Michigan Approves First Cannabis Cultivation Facility with Processing Lab

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]T[/dropcap]he state of Michigan approved one cultivation facility on Dec. 7 that will also house the first cannabis processing laboratory in the state.

The town of Buchanan, Michigan will be home to Redbud Roots, a medical cannabis cultivation facility that is capable of housing over 3,000 cannabis plants.

“I’m always open to new ideas helping people with their medical conditions with an organic substance,” said resident Steve Raglin, who owns buildings throughout the city. He believes that the upcoming medical cannabis facilities  will be good for the city as well as the local community. “I think it will provide even more traffic to this little downtown area,” Raglin said.

The state also issued licenses for two provisioning centers in the city’s downtown area. Medical marijuana businesses are separate from possible adult-use marijuana businesses, none of which are expected to be operational before early 2020, the state has said. “Under Michigan’s new recreational cannabis law, communities can opt out of the provision. The Buchanan City Council considered a vote against recreational cannabis in city limits but put the vote on hold instead two weeks ago. The city will be having an informational meeting Dec. 11 to allow for public opinion about the option of bringing recreational cannabis into the city. The medical cannabis regulation structure is expected to provide the framework for recreational cannabis regulation, as medical cannabis companies would also be able to pursue the l recreational cannabis licenses.

“I think it would be foolish not to consider how to participate,” said Om of Buchanan partner Rick Paniagua. “It’s a huge market and it it’s done right, the benefits for the city of Buchanan could be immense.” Om of Buchanan, which is affiliated with Om of Medicine in Ann Arbor, Michigan is hopeful to open in spring 2019. “I’m excited. I know the team is excited,” said Paniagua.