Utah to pick growers of medical pot

NEPHI, Utah — The wide metal barn on the Utah alfalfa farm owned by Russell and Diane Jones will host their youngest son's wedding next month. By September, they hope the structure will be full of marijuana plants.

The Joneses are fourthgeneration farmers, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, and among 81 applicants for one of a handful of coveted spots as a licensed medical marijuana grower in conservative Utah.

Although leaders of their faith once opposed the bid to legalize medical marijuana, Russell Jones said he researched the drug's pain-relieving benefits as he battled Hodgkin's lymphoma. Now, he and his wife want to be part of an emerging industry given life in the state when voters approved a law last year.

Rivals for licenses include larger operations that grow hemp, and a handful of out-of-state growers. State officials are expected to begin awarding up to 10 licenses later this month.

The state recently opened the licensing process to out-of-state growers. Some applicants worry that the process stacks the deck against local growers in favor of companies that have successfully grown cannabis in other states where the crop is legal. The application requires a $2,500 fee, and submissions are hundreds of pages long. Those who get a license pay $100,000 every year to keep it, and buying tools and facilities can cost millions.

Utah Department of Agriculture officials said they are awarding extra points to applicants with community ties. Eight applications came from out-of-state growers. The state is looking for farmers able to expand operations as demand increases while keeping costs low and growing plants free of mold and pesticides.