April viewed for groundbreaking on massive Freetown marijuana facility

Americann proposal is one of three actively advancing in the area.

By Kevin P. O'Connor

FREETOWN — A massive marijuana facility, one that could be among the largest in the country, is set to break ground next month.

Americann of Denver plans to build a marijuana grow house and processing facility on Campanelli Drive. It will start at 130,000 square feet. The design will allow the building to expand to a million square feet.

"We are moving forward," said Tim Keough, a Massachusetts native who is the CEO of Americann. "We are in the design documentation phase.

"We are looking at an early April groundbreaking."

Americann is the new addition to the marijuana industry locally. It is not alone in its efforts.

Cannatech Medicinals, lead by Dr. Henry Crowley of Fall River, is building a 30,000 square foot facility to grow and process marijuana for use as medicine on the Fall River side of the biopark.

Hope, Heal, Health, of Warren, Rhode Island, purchased the mill building at 1 West St., Fall River, with plans to build a 20,000 square foot growing and processing facility in the 172,000 square foot Border City Mill.

Americann contracted with Campanelli Construction of Braintree. The plans are to build an initial facility which can be expanded as demand for marijuana grows. The facility will be in Campanelli Drive, right over the line from Fall River.

Besides growing and processing marijuana for its own facilities, Americann intends to wholesale the product to other companies with licenses to distribute medical marijuana, company officials have said.

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"We've master planned the site for a million square feet," Keough said. "We are starting
smaller.

"We are keeping our heads down and moving forward."Americann said that, at a million
square feet, its Freetown facility will be the largest marijuana facility east of the Mississippi
River.

In both Massachusetts and Rhode Island doctors are allowed to prescribe marijuana as
medicine to patients with several maladies.There are three stains of marijuana.

Only one, sativa, produces a high that is typically associated with recreational use. Doctors,
especially in Israel and the Netherlands, have developed drugs using marijuana strains that
can be used to treat.

anxiety, seizures and some forms of cancer. It has also shown promise in pain relief and
control of nausea as well as an appetite stimulant for people in treatments that suppress
appetite.

Marijuana remains illegal by federal law. As a schedule one drug, federal funds cannot
be used to finance studies of its medical uses or the effect of its use as medicine.

Despite that, 28 states and the District of Columbia legalized the use of marijuana as
medicine.

Eight states and the District of Columbia legalized the recreational use of marijuana.

In Massachusetts, marijuana is legal for both recreational and medical use. Rhode
Island allows on medical use.

CannaTech Medicinals will dedicate its efforts to medical research and the production
of medicine, Crowley said. Its operation will follow the standards set by the FDA for
facilities producing pharmaceutical products, Crowley said. CannaTech Medicinals is
the only local company that has publicly committed to produce only medical marijuana.