Minnesota Taking Medical Marijuana Applications

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The state of Minnesota has begun taking applications from entrepreneurs interested in opening medical cannabis manufacturing facilities, and the potential applicants include members of the family that owns Bachman's Inc., the Minneapolis-based chain of floral and garden shops.

"There are several family members that are interested," company spokeswoman Karen Bachman said Friday as the application period opened. She declined to identify which family members might apply and stressed that the company itself is not interested.

Garden Fresh Farms of Maplewood, which grows hydroponic herbs and produce year-round, says it's interested. The company said it has the perfect setup already and is "considering options, costs and partners."

The Legislature has directed the Minnesota Department of Health to pick two facilities to grow medical marijuana and process it into non-smokeable drugs for patients who suffer from a limited list of conditions, such as AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, ALS and Crohn's disease.

"It's not as simple as putting a couple of pots in your basement with some grow lamps," Assistant Commissioner Manny Munson-Regala said.

Potential investors must pay a $20,000 nonrefundable fee just to apply. The two companies that are chosen will have less than a year to get their operations up and running before patients begin lining up next July 1. So the state's selection criteria will be slanted heavily toward applicants with deep pockets, detailed business plans and a solid grounding in agriculture and finance.

"These are large-scale industrial operations," Munson-Regala said. "When you're growing medication for 1,500, 2,000, or 5,000 patients, you're growing at a scale that requires some kind of systematic process."

Companies must submit a letter of intent by Sept. 19. Applications are due Oct. 3. The two manufacturers will be selected in December. Despite the restrictions, and the hefty application fee, more than 200 people showed up for an informational meeting about medical marijuana manufacturing last month.

"I don't need a lot of applicants as long as two of them are excellent," Munson-Regala said.

Medical Marijuana