Exclusive first look inside newest, largest cannabis cultivation site in Palm Springs

With the passage of recreational-use marijuana in the state, local businesses are making big investments that could be extremely profitable in the near future. But at the moment theyare still focused on helping medical patients get the best quality cannabis. A 17,000 square foot building on the north side of Palm Springs was vacant for several years until being bought and transformed by the folks from the medical marijuana dispensary PSA Organica. In a couple weeks, huge rooms will be filled with thousands of cannabis plants being grown to supply the dispensary. They said it’ll be the largest cultivation site in the city. KESQ and CBS Local 2’s Joe Galli went on an exclusive first tour of the facility. “I think that we are setting the bar and setting it really high. I do believe that all medicine should be produced with standards like this,” said Charles Kieley, a cultivator with PSA Organica.
Everything in this building is state-of-the-art, from devices used to fertilize the plants to, appropriately enough, about 420 high-power growing lights. There are also huge tanks for water. Even the ventilation coming out of the air conditioners in filtered to eliminate as much of the marijuana odor as possible for their neighbors. Every inch of the building is covered by cameras, and a team of security guards will watch the place 24 hours a day. Even the floors are a high-tech epoxy. “It’s totally durable. It allows us to scrub, clean and sanitize before we replant the room,” Kieley said. Our patents need the same quality and the same consistency of the medicine through the months and years that they are with us,” said Julie Montante, owner of PSA Organica. With the passage of recreational marijuana use, buildings just like this could someday be commonplace and have the potential to bring in millions of dollars every year. But for now the plants that will be grown here are strictly for medicinal patients. “The great city of Palm Springs and the city council will determine who, how and where recreation will come into play here; currently this is all medical,” said Kieley. Once the cultivation site is up and running, there will be about 40 full-time employees working here. Cultivators are going to start growing plants in the next few weeks and should be able to harvest their first crop in just a couple months. JOE GALLI CAN BE FOUND ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER!