Medical Marijuana Grow Site Back on Track in East Liverpool

 EAST LIVERPOOL — Work has recommenced at the former Ferro Corporation building on Harvey Avenue here, where workers are renovating it for use as a medical marijuana growing and processing facility.

Rebecca Myers, founder and CEO of FarmaceuticalRX, cited the sluggish capital market and the COVID-19 pandemic as why work had stopped on the East End renovation.

“As you can imagine, it’s been a difficult time raising money in every sector, particularly in the medical marijuana industry,” she said. 

During that downtime, FarmaceuticalRX “buckled down and worked on capital raising but focused on our Pennsylvania business,” Myers said, referring to the company’s marijuana cultivation and processing operation in Farrell, Pa. which opened last year. 

“We are the premier brand in Pennsylvania after only [being in operation] 10 months, and we’re very excited now to become a grower and processor in Ohio, as well as our pharmacy already in operation,” Myers said.

The company opened FRXHealth, a medical marijuana dispensary, on Dresden Avenue in February of last year.

With renewed infusion of capital and interest in funding the industry, FarmaceuticalRX was able to resume work here, Myers said.  

The 110,000-square-foot building that once housed a porcelain manufacturing business, has been closed about 20 years. Plans call for using a portion for processing while constructing a greenhouse for cultivation. Efforts have been made to retain the historical aspects of the building for the community, Myers said. 

She expects renovations for the processing section to be completed by the end of this year, about the same time she anticipates certification by the state for the processing business.

The cultivation portion of the facility should be completed in early 2021, according to Myers. 

The Farrell facility currently employs 65, and Myers predicted a higher number of employees will work at the East Liverpool facility, which is larger. 

“We’re still targeting 100 employees for the East Liverpool facility, and two-thirds of those will be local (residents),” Myers said. 

In a previous article, Myers said once the facilities are up and running, along with the dispensary, FarmaceuticalRX will control the process from seed to sale.

Pictured at top: Remodeling work has resumed on the former Ferro Corporation building in East Liverpool, where FRX plans to operate a medical marijuana growing and processing plant.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.