Kankakee City Council Decides to Allow a Marijuana Growing Facility Get a Permit

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The Kankakee City Council approved a conditional use permit for a company in Illinois. The permit allows DAM Good Farm Inc. to open an indoor marijuana growing facility. It will make use of the 7500 sq feet. The owner of the business tried to open a dispensary in the same area but received blowback from the people in the area and some council members. He eventually relented and shelved the plans.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Kankakee City Council approved a conditional use permit for DAM Good Farm Inc.
  • The approved property is 7500 sq ft.
  • The owner of the business, Adam Baumgartner, had previously attempted to open a dispensary in the same area but was rebuffed by the neighborhood and council members in the area. He decided to shelve the production after the opposition took place.

Quote: “Baumgartner already has an industrial hemp growing license from the State of Illinois as he has an outdoor hemp farm in nearby Reddick, in Kankakee County.” (Provost, 2020)

Link to article:

https://www.daily-journal.com/news/local/council-oks-indoor-pot-facility/article_902bb05c-5cfd-11ea-a872-fb40636dbd79.html
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Shortages in Medical Marijuana Force Residents to Grow Their Own

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Medical marijuana users in Illinois are finding shortages of the product in cannabis stores. Many of them are now resorting to growing their own in the meantime. The article mentions a gentleman that is growing his own in a system he built for 5,000 dollars. Most of these people cannot take any cannabis however, it is a specific blend of CBD and THC in a 2 to 1 ratio that is needed. The gentleman finds this works to control his seizures.

Key Takeaways:
A shortage of products in Illinois has some of the people growing their own medicine.
The person quoted in the article is like most of the others in that they need a very specific ratio of CBD to THC in order for it to deal with their medical problems.
The man in the article spent 5,000 dollars in order to cultivate his own medicine.

Quote: “The patient may keep any amount produced by the plant, as long as it’s secured in the home where it was grown, but it remains illegal to sell or give away cannabis from one’s plants. Lawmakers originally proposed letting all adults grow pot for recreational use, but that provision was deleted after police and commercial growers raised objections.“ (McCoppin, 2020)

Link to article:
https://herald-review.com/news/state-and-regional/frustrated-with-shortages-some-illinois-medical-marijuana-patients-begin-growing/article_2b78b6d5-ddd8-5220-b44d-625f1d1753ee.html

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Veterinarians Concerned about Cannabis Edibles and Pet Consumption of Them

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Veterinarians are worried about the toxicity of cannabis edibles in pets. They are not worried about the cannabis but the ingredients that go with the edibles. They are noting that cannabis edibles often come with chocolate, raisins, and other things like xylitol. The mixture could be very bad for pets when mixed together. They note that the cases of exposure and poisoning from cannabis edibles as quadrupled in the United States.

Key Takeaways:

  • Some veterinarians are worried about the possibility of exposure of pets to edible cannabis.
  • They cite that the reports of poisoning from cannabis edibles have quadrupled.
  • The mixture of things like chocolate, raisins, and other toxic ingredients for dogs seem to be the problem as opposed to the cannabis itself.

“Over the past six years, the U.S.-based Pet Poison Helpline says cannabis toxicity cases have more than quadrupled in the U.S. In Canada, the helpline reported there were 54 reports of pet exposure to CBD and cannabis during the first seven months of 2019.” (Geary, 2020)

Link to article:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/cannabis-pets-vet-advice-1.5464578

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Illinois’s Piatt County Awards Its First Legal Growing Permit

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Piatt County in Illinois has allowed its first legal grower a permit. The County Zoning Board gave a special permit to two gentlemen who applied as “crafters” of the crop. It allows them to grow smaller amounts. The growers have the condition of doing water table tests over some time to make sure that the water supply for their neighbors is not adversely affected.

Key Takeaways:

  • The County Zoning Board of Appeals of Piatt County voted 5-0 to allow a special use permit for a cannabis growing facility.

  • The permit was for a “craft” grower which means that the two gentlemen who received the permits will be producing smaller quantities of the crop.

  • They will have to conduct water table tests to make sure that the neighbors would not be affected by the water usage of the grow production as a condition of the permit.

Quote: “The ZBA did include a condition that the applicant conduct water table tests and make sure the operation would not affect the water supply of adjacent neighbors.” (Hoffman, 2020)

Link to article:

https://www.journal-republican.com/news/cannabis-grower-nets-permit-approval-from-piatt-county-zoning-board/article_505e1ea8-3ec4-11ea-a521-b756fcc1debf.html

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What You Need to Know About Legal Growing in Illinois – Part 1

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Congratulations, Illinois, you just went legal on January 1, 2020. What does that mean? Well, that means that you can possess and grow your favorite plant to a certain extent without Johnny Law breathing down your neck. Does that mean you can go wild? No. There are some things you should know before you jump into creating your own legal business in this industry. There are several pitfalls that other owners of this same type of business have found as their states went legal. You should know them before you try this venture because knowing these things will help you get a leg up on the competition.

You should know that there are a lot of people who were going to enter the marketplace. It means that the cost of your product will be driven down for quite some time. It is a very fancy way of saying that either you are going to have to create a superior product or you will have to realize that this is not a get rich quick scheme. You are going to have to be in this for the long haul to make your money back. Of course, you are also going to have to follow your rules and regulations that your state sets out.

The major thing you should probably keep in mind is that your supplies, your labor, and anything else that you think you can write off are probably not going to be able to be written off. There’s a tax code 280E that prohibits marijuana businesses from deducting business expenses. If you are not aware of this tax code you can find yourself short at the end of the year when you are turning in your tax return. Most people rely on their deductions to help them cover their losses or, with luck, show a profit over the year. It could be used to, maybe, break even. However, the unfortunate truth is that most of your growing supplies and your labor is not going to be written off. If you keep that in mind before you start the business then you have a greater chance at succeeding because you will not be relying on any write-offs to help you at the end of the year. Just knowing this fact can help you stay in business when a lot of other businesses are blindsided and have to find a way to pay the government.

Mobile Grow Racks are the way to go

One of the things that might take a while to figure out is that you probably want to use mobile grow racks to make your product. A lot of people start with stationary versions of their growing apparatuses. However, it is very nice to be able to wheel your grow around. You can also spin it around which means you have more freedom to make adjustments, change things, or just check on the status of your plants. Of course, you could wait on this upgrade to your business. However, the sooner you get this the better off you will be because it will be much easier to make the changes you need as necessary. You will not have to struggle to move your grow if you need to at a later date. Obviously, if you have to carry your product upstairs then the mobile unit is probably not going to help you. But, if it just needs to move to the other side of the room then a mobile grow rack is the way to go. Secondarily, most of the mobile grow racks that you can find are meant to be vertical friendly. A final note before we move on to vertical growing is that you want to get a stable version of these racks. It might seem obvious but there are many places where you can go out and buy racks that are mobile. The problem with them is that they are going to feel flimsy and give you trouble. You do not want to lose work because your mobile rack was not stable enough to handle the weight and/or the work that you needed it to be able to support.

Plan for growth/vertical growing

Finally, you need a plan for vertical growing. Eventually, you will find that you are running out of space once you develop your own marketplace and your customer list. You will find that growing out is not the answer and what is the answer is the ability to grow above yourself. You are going to have to get involved in vertical farming. Vertical farming is the way to go because you do not need to grow out, which will take extra space. You just grow straight up. If you look above your head right now then you will probably notice, for most people, unless you are unusually tall, that there is a lot more room up there. You also get to take advantage of your mobile grow rack as you will be able to wheel around multiple carts easily and have a vertical farm on them as well. The sooner you plan for the fact that you were going to have to grow vertically the better off you will be in the future once your business grows to an appropriate level.

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