Jon Callahan admires his marijuana plants. There are thousands of them lined neatly in a row.
“We’ve got to baby them until they grow, we’ve got to transplant them, we have to water them every few days,” Callahan said.
Newark-based Honest Pharm Co. testing marijuana plants (video)
Callahan is the President and founder of
Honest Pharm Co., one of the first facilities to be awarded a conditional cannabis cultivator license in New York State.
He says that means they can grow in greenhouses up to 25,000 square feet and outdoors one acre.
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Marijuana plants months into growing season
As soon as they got that license, owners say they put the seeds into pots, and now they’re a couple of months into growth. These plants could be the in THC products you see on the market soon.
“It will either go to extraction to create oil that could be put into edibles or vape cartridges or all kinds of other good products, or it will be smokable flower,” Callahan said. “I’d probably say maybe 25% of this will be smokable flower.”
More: State approves second round of cannabis cultivator licenses
Cannabis company anticipates dispensaries opening
Callahan’s partner, CEO Jeremy Jimenez, is excited about their expansion and status in New York State.
“We’re trying to keep up with the New York State regulators and moving forward with the industry, waiting for dispensaries to open up so we’re actually growing here for dispensaries and medical marijuana facilities,” Jimenez said.
Until the State gives dispensaries the green light to open, they’re testing this batch. They’ve say they’ve grown for CBD genetics for years, but not for THC.
“Number one we’re testing the cultivar itself to see that it is what we want before we do bigger runs but we’re also testing the facility,” Jimenez said.
More: How does New York’s cannabis licensing rollout compare to other states?
Anti-legal marijuana advocates voice concerns
NBut not everyone is excited about the upcoming legal sale of marijuana.
Scott Chipman is the Vice President of Americans Against Legalizing Marijuana.
“We’re very disappointed that legislators continue to ignore the science related to marijuana,” Chipman said. “The reason it’s so dangerous is what people think they know about marijuana is wrong. It is a psychoactive drug.”
But Callahan and Jimenez say they’re working toward a common goal.
“My personal driving force is just really to help people, to be part of a new industry, to pioneer this in New York,” Callahan said.
They hope dispensaries are able to open in January.
Rebecca is a veteran multimedia journalist serving as one of our core reporters in the Finger Lakes region. She is responsible for telling stories that matter to every day Upstate New Yorkers. Have a question or lead? Send it to [email protected].