Some of Missouri’s first legal marijuana will be grown in Cape Girardeau County as part of the state’s medical marijuana program.

Archimedes Medical Holdings LLC, which holds a marijuana cultivation license to grow cannabis at JoAnn’s Greenhouse in northern Cape Girardeau County, is one of two cultivation facilities to complete “commencement” inspections this week by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).

The other cultivation facility that has been given a green light from DHSS is in Earth City, Missouri, west of St. Louis.

Missouri has issued 60 licenses to cultivation facilities, all of which must complete inspections by DHSS before they’re allowed to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Completion of the inspection process by Archimedes Medical Holdings “is a big step forward for patients in Missouri,” said Lyndall Fraker, director of medical marijuana regulations for DHSS.

Fraker said commencement inspections are required to verify each licensee is in compliance with minimum standards for licensure established by DHSS in accordance with Article XIV of the Missouri Constitution. By a 65% to 35% vote in November 2018, Missouri voters legalized the use of medical marijuana.

Archimedes Medical Holdings has obtained two licenses to grow cannabis at the site along Route B south of Biehle, Missouri, near Apple Creek. A third licensee, FUJM LLC, also holds a cultivation license at that location where a perimeter fence and security cameras have been installed. Enhanced security measures, such as fencing and security cameras, are required by DHSS at licensed medical marijuana facilities.

An Archimedes employee at the site said it will be two or three months before the first crop is harvested and transported to infused-product manufacturing facilities and then shipped to retail dispensaries throughout the state.

“We know qualified patients are eager to see dispensary doors open up in our state,” Fraker said, “and having cultivators now able to grow and soon supply these facilities is something we are all very pleased to see.”

Some of the products grown by Archimedes could eventually end up on shelves at one of four licensed dispensaries planned for Cape Girardeau and one in Jackson. Several of those dispensaries plan to be operational by September, depending on how soon product is available for sale.

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