Large-scale cannabis cultivation facility opens in Desert Hot Springs
Southern California’s first legally permitted major marijuana growing operation is officially open for business in Desert Hot Springs.
Some are calling it a major milestone in the history of the state and for the future for marijuana use.
The 9,600 square foot facility can produce more than 200 pounds of marijuana a month once it’s in full operation.
The company that is behind the facility is the Santa Barbara-based Canndescent. It has been involved in the production of marijuana since the early 1990s and has raised $6.5 million in seed money during the past year. Plants have already moved into the facility, which the CEO, Adrian Sedlin, says has stricter security than most banks.
Two years ago, voters in Desert Hot Springs backed measures to allow dispensaries and the cultivation of marijuana in order to boost the city’s economy.
The company symbolically offered the city a check for $135,000 to city leaders at Thursday’s ribbon cutting, which is what they hope to pay in cultivation taxes after a year of operation.
Sedlin also awarded $3,300 to a local Boy Scout who requested to do the Pledge of Allegiance before the ceremony. Isaac Giron, 15, of Desert Hot Springs, can now go to a scouting convention in Washington D.C. and Giron says he knows the benefits of legalizing marijuana.
“My mom had ovarian cancer. She almost died from it, and medical marijuana saved her life, and I see what good it’s done,” Giron said.
Cannabis supporters are looking forward to November to vote on Proposition 64, which, if passed, would legalize recreational marijuana use. But local politicians say that even if the proposition fails, these cultivation sites will be continue to be profitable while selling to medical dispensaries.
“I think you always got to outweigh the good and the bad, and the trend is between 60 and 70 percent position on proposition 64 passing. It’s going to be recreational use, a lot of these individuals will still be cultivating medical use, so I don’t think it’s going to take away from the industry too much,” said Scott Matas, mayor of Desert Hot Springs.
“To just have this sort of cannabis business to be recognized by people, from all over and all walks of life, and be accepted is wonderful, because it’s time for people to come out of the cannabis closet,” said Joy Meredith, owner of the Joy of Wellness Center, which is a medical marijuana dispensary in Palm Springs.
Security is a major concern at the Canndescent facility. The company has armed guards working 24 a day hours and 64 cameras to keep an eye on the building and their cannabis crop.
