WAVELAND, Miss. (WLOX) – The medical marijuana industry is coming to Waveland, and city leaders are getting ready. Officials met Wednesday to approve ZenLab USA Cannabis Processing to use an existing facility off of Highway 90.
Ward 1 Alderman Jeremy Burke said the proposed processing facility will be located at 529 Highway 90, also known as the former Hancock Whitney Bank.
“There’s been much documentation that it is something that benefits many sick patients. If it helps people and that’s available in Mississippi, obviously the state lawmakers decided that this is something that would benefit residents of Mississippi,” Burke said.
Burke said the unique opportunity would set Waveland apart from the rest of the Coast by having a processing facility on top of medical marijuana dispensaries in the area.
“Other communities are going to have to buy the products that are made in Waveland. Frankly, we’re probably going to be one of the few processers in Hancock County and probably one of the few processors on the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” Burke said.
The board asked residents if anyone is opposed to the proposed facility, however, no one raised their hands for questions, but for clarity instead.
Folks had questions about specifics of what’s being processed in the facility, if there will be workshops covering cannabis rules and regulations, as well as questions concerning residents that live behind the proposed processing facility.
Burke said the next step is for businesses to get a business license and proper permits before opening.
“Waveland is just the first step. Anyone who is setting this up still has many processes to go through to set up shop. It’s not a business license that’s going to be issued tomorrow and cannibals will be sold or processed there. They still have to go through their process of applying through the state of Mississippi and being approved before anything can happen,” he said.
Burke said the state will start issuing cannabis business licenses in June.
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