A $20 million dollar project nears the finish line as the resulting hybrid greenhouse prepares to open next month. The cannabis company responsible for its construction, Michigan Pure Med, hopes the facility puts Michigan above its competitor states.
The hybrid greenhouse utilizes natural sunlight to help grow its product. However, the facility also employs bulbs to supplement when inadequate sunlight reaches the cannabis plants. The combination reduces cost by taking advantage of the sun where other facilities would grow in an enclosed space.
The engineering feat marks the first of its kind in Michigan to manage balancing both energy sources in order to grow 24 hours a day. In other words, dark, frigid midwestern winters won’t stop production. No outside air contacts the plants, providing optimal climate controls for growth.
The CEO of Michigan Pure Med, Michael Elias, said the high-tech facility “will be the first operation in the state of Michigan to be GMP-certified.” It will be near Battle Creek.
State Cannabis Grows in Shadow of Federal Prohibition
In spite of the federal status of cannabis maintaining the drug as schedule 1, Elias says the facility adheres to all FDA guidelines.
He places a great deal of hope in the future of cannabis in Michigan, believing it the best state for the industry moving forward.
This facility features the capacity to expand its 200,000 square feet to over 1 million to accommodate growing demand. The company sells cannabis in its Common Citizen storefronts.
Once fully operational, the greenhouse will employ 400 employees in the Marshall area.
The corporatization of the cannabis industry plays in stark contrast to the use of the drug just years ago when it remained illegal in the state of Michigan. First, the state legalized medical usage in 2008, though that law carried significant barriers.
Then, in 2018, an initiative passed legalizing the recreational use of the drug. Since then, money continues to pour into the growing industry in spite of its federal status.
Meanwhile, thousands remain in prison or have criminal records based on petty drug charges from prohibition days.
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