Mar 14, 2017 3 min read

A recently formed company has proposed developing a greenhouse operation near Nemacolin in Greene County to grow medical marijuana.

AGRiMED Industries LLC issued a statement Tuesday saying it will file an application Monday with the state Department of Health for a license to grow and cultivate medical cannabis.

The proposed operation will be developed off Thomas Road in Cumberland Township on what is known as the Wellington Development property, said Sterling Crockett, chairman and chief diversity officer at AGRiMED.

The company plans to develop its “state-of-the art” greenhouse operation on 61 acres of land near the site where another company has proposed building a natural gas-fired power plant. Crockett said the company had learned about the availability of the property through discussions with officials affiliated with Wellington Development.

The state Department of Health is accepting application for growers and processors of medical marijuana until Monday.

The state plans to license 12 growing and processing facilities.

Under the state’s medical marijuana program, signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf in April 2016, cannabis can be prescribed for 17 medical conditions.

Medical cannabis can be dispensed as pills, oils, liquids, topical ointments or in a form that can be administered by an inhaler or nebulizer. It cannot be dispensed in any form to be smoked.

AGRiMED was formed by individuals who have had experience in the cannabis growing industry in other states, Crockett said. The new company will be based at 270 Thomas Road in Cumberland Township, he said.

Crockett said the facility will be “very secure.” Security will be enhanced by the isolated nature of the area in which the facility will be located, which is accessible by only one road, he said.

Initially, the operation is expected to employ about 40 people, Crockett said.

“We see employment ramping up north of 100 in the first five years.”

Cumberland Township Supervisor Bill Groves said company officials met with the township last Thursday.

Groves said the company appears to have developed a “strong proposal” to obtain a state license for the operation. The operation complies with the township’s zoning ordinance, “so if they are approved and want to come here, they’ll come here,” Groves said.

Greene County Commissioner Blair Zimmerman said the commissioners have heard rumors about the operation, but “nothing (about it) has come across our desk.” Zimmerman said he would not comment on the proposal until he learns more.

AGRiMED will invest $25 million to develop the growing operation in Cumberland Township, according to the company’s release.

“The core of our model is the cultivation and processing of medical grade cannabis plants into pharmaceutical medicines that can improve health and wellness to patients in need,” Bruce Goldman, AGRiMED chief executive officer, said in the statement.

Pennsylvania law allows grower-processor facilities only to distribute products to other dispensaries and facilities. They cannot sell directly to patients.

AGRiMED also plans to open regional medical cannabis dispensaries to connect patients to the medicine. The company has proposed opening one of its dispensaries in Greene County, Crockett said. “We made a conscious decision to have (a dispensary) to serve people in a rural area,” he said.

Three area communities – Hopewell Township and Monongahela in Washington County and Rostraver Township in Westmoreland County – have approved zoning changes to regulate medical marijuana growing facilities. Companies have expressed interest in building grow operations in Hopewell and Rostraver.