11 Companies Get OK for Small Marijuana Grow Sites

YOUNGSTOWN Ohio – A company based in Chagrin Falls, FN Group Holdings LLC, has received preliminary approval to operate a Level II medical marijuana cultivation site in Ravenna.

The company, which will do business as Wellspring Fields, is owned by Mark and Claire Hobson. It was established in April and is one of 11 companies named “winners” Friday by the Ohio Department of Commerce. Seventy-six companies applied for the Level II licenses, which authorize up to 3,000 square feet of growing space. The applications were scored on their business plans and financial viability.

The Ravenna application is for a grow site at 4000 Lake Rockwell Road. The state ranked it second from the top.

Other applicants awarded Level II licenses include small grow sites in Canton, Akron, Columbus, Toledo, and Wilmington. According to state rules, the applicants have nine months to comply with state and local regulations. After passing a state inspection, they will receive a certificate of operation.

In Youngstown, Silver Rapids LLC failed in its bid for a Level II license to grow medical marijuana at the Performance Place Industrial Park. The state did not release the scores of applicants that did not win a license.

Level II licenses were awarded to:

• Fire Rock Ltd., with sites in Columbus, Canton and Akron (Score 178.92 points)
• FN Group Holdings LLC, Ravenna (176.76 points)
• Mother Grows Best LLC, Canton (172 points)
• OhiGrow LLC, Toledo (168.76 points)
• Ancient Roots LLC, Wilmington (168.76 points)
• Ohio Clean Leaf LLC, with sites in Dayton and Carroll (160.56 points)
• Ascension BioMedical LLC in Oberlin (157.08 points)
• Agri-Med Ohio LLC in Langsville (156.60 points)
• Paragon Development Group LLC in Huber Heights (154.56 points)
• Hemma LLC in Monroe (151.28 points)
• Galenas LLC in Akron (148.92 points)

At least 11 companies submitted applications to the state seeking either Level I or Level II licenses to grow medical marijuana at proposed sites in the Mahoning Valley.

Six identified locations in Youngstown as potential sites, according to a list of applications posted on the Ohio Department of Commerce’s website at MedicalMarijuana.ohio.gov.

The other five companies identified sites in the cities of Warren, Struthers and Campbell, and the village of Lowellville.

The winners of Level I licenses — up to 25,000 square feet of growing space — are expected to be announced in the next few weeks, according to state officials.

The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy is now accepting applications for provisional medical marijuana dispensary licenses. The application period will close at 2:00 p.m. on Nov. 17.

Legislation enabling medical marijuana businesses in Ohio took effect in September 2016. The law authorized the creation of the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program, which established the rules for implementation.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.