Two more medical pot businesses gain approval

Two more medical marijuana applicants received easy approval from Nye County Commissioners on Tuesday.

Green Life Productions was granted a license to cultivate marijuana at 1205 S. Loop Road, behind the old Floyd’s Ace Hardware building that closed in 2011. Green Life was granted a special use permit by Nye County July 16, the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health then issued a provisional license in a list released Nov. 3. The Nye County Water District approved the water impact plan Dec. 1, the sheriff’s office signed off on their security and transportation plan.

Green Life includes partners Mark Cantwell and Mike Floyd, a Nye County school board member and long-time contractor. Their application was approved without any discussion. The company paid $5,000 for an initial application to cultivate marijuana. Floyd, the vice-president of Floyd’s Construction, is leasing the 12,500 square-foot lumber barn to Green Life, of which 8,750 square feet will be used to grow marijuana, the remainder for office space for record keeping and security.

In an application letter dated Nov. 26, Floyd, the CEO of Green Life Productions LLC wrote: “Our current plans call for an operation that would have approximately 1,600 plants growing at one time in various stages of development with an expected yield of 90 pounds of product per month at full capacity. We would not want a large amount of unsold product in our facility so we plan on ramping up production as our relationships with licensed end users develop and allow us avenues to sell product. We have made contact with the only approved dispensary in Nye County and intend to supply medical marijuana to them once our product has been grown, tested and approved.”

Green Life expects to have 15 employees. Floyd said the traffic impacts will be minor. The facility is serviced with public water and sewer by Utilities Inc. of Central Nevada.

The other applicant, Champ Roach, part of a group called Nevada Natural Medicines, received a special use permit from the county to produce medical marijuana products on eight acres at 9680 S. Oakridge Ave.

He already has a special use permit to cultivate marijuana. Nevada Natural Medicines also received a waiver from Nye County Code allowing their presentation outside of the once per year hearing.

The property had been rezoned this year for rural estates with a business opportunity overlay zone, which allows for medical marijuana establishments.

County owners said the applicants submitted a financial plan indicating adequate funds to support their business plan.

They plan to use BioTrack THC Seed to Sale software to track cultivation, processing, packing and point of sale, with video surveillance and alarm systems. Marijuana will be put in tamper-proof, secured containers then placed in a lockable container transported in non-descript vehicles.

It has been an existing greenhouse since 1990, where Roach has been growing basil for the Las Vegas casino market. Nevada Natural Medicines was granted a permit for a medical marijuana dispensary and cultivation facility in Clark County.

County Commission Chairman Dan Schinhofen wrote Roach a letter stating though county commissioners July 16 approved his special use permit for cultivation and the application for production was not approved, he concluded the facility would be appropriate for both businesses.

Schinhofen, in an Aug. 7 letter invited Roach to submit an application for production.

“Therefore, please be advised that if the State of Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health grants you the necessary provisional certificates for both cultivation and infusion/production for the property I would invite you to submit an application to the Board of County Commission for reconsideration of the denial of the special use permit,” Schinhofen wrote.

Schinhofen remarked to Roach he shouldn’t transport the marijuana across county lines, which is currently prohibited by Clark County regulations.

“That’s going to be an issue the state’s going to be working out real soon,” Roach replied.

That was about the extent of the discussion on his application. A state committee on medial marijuana will work on revisions to the state law passed in 2013, to eliminate any ban on shipment of medical marijuana across county lines.

These are the third approvals, with the commission approving Dec. 2 a license for Nye Natural Medicinal Solutions for a production and cultivation facility on East Thousandaire Boulevard.