Eleven small growers chosen to grow medical marijuana in Ohio

The first round of medical marijuana growers in Ohio have been chosen, but where and when they can grow is still up in the air.

Eleven small growers were selected and announced on Friday by the Department of Commerce.

Small growers will eventually be able to cultivate 3,000 sq. ft. of product. Some growers applied for multiple, potential locations of where their cultivation facilities could go, but they can only choose one place. Fire Rock Ltd. is one of those eleven chosen growers.

“We’re a physician led company with my background as a surgeon,” said CEO Matt Noyes. “I’m just excited to be a part of something that is revolutionary in Ohio and kind of groundbreaking.”

Fire Rock Ltd. applied to grow medical marijuana in Summit, Stark and Franklin counties. It hasn’t decided which location to go with yet, but if it picks Columbus the facility would be located on N. 20th Street.

Noyes said he believes medical marijuana gives patients another option for treatment, especially right now during the opiate epidemic.

“I just saw so many patients suffering from certain conditions. A lot of people don’t really want to use narcotics,” he said. “Marijuana gives people another choice, a different way to treat their symptoms.”

Noyes said he already has a successful growing business in California.

The Department of Commerce said cultivators have 10 days to choose a location for their facility. There’s no timeline yet on when they can start growing medical marijuana, but Noyes said they anticipate to have product ready by September 2018.