The state has chosen the 12 companies that will be given licenses to operate large-scale medical marijuana growing farms.
Seven of the 12 companies awarded large cultivator licenses are in Northeast Ohio. None are in central Ohio. There are two in Southeast Ohio and three in Southwest Ohio, including Cresco Labs. It got the tenth highest score on the criteria established by state controllers. It also has ties to former Ohio House Speaker Bill Batchelder and former Republican Party operative Chris Schrimpf. But Charlie Bachtell with Cresco Labs says political affiliations are not why his company was chosen.
“In Illinois, we had the highest score, second highest score and third highest score of 158 applications. And in Pennsylvania, of the 177 applications, we had the second highest score there.”
In all, 109 companies applied. Some of those not chosen are questioning the results and at least one of the businesses that wasn’t chosen is threatening to take legal action against the state.
