CHICAGO — As the first medical marijuana in the Pittsburgh area prepares to open, 11 Investigates' Aaron Martin is getting an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the same company's facility outside of Chicago.
Marijuana starts as just a seed, with each separate strand growing step by step. By the time medical marijuana plants are ready to be sold, similar strands to the ones being grown in Illinois will be on shelves in Butler County.
PHOTOS: Behind-the-scenes look at medical marijuana facility in Chicago
11 Investigates' Aaron Martin went to Illinois, just outside of Chicago, to get a tour of a medical marijuana cultivation operation. The facility is run by Cresco Yeltrah, the same company opening a medical marijuana dispensary in Butler.
"Pennsylvania's a great new market that fits our box," said Charlie Bachtell, the CEO of Cresco Yeltrah.
11 Investigates got to see each step of the five-month process to cultivate the plants, from when the seeds are first planted to when they're ready to be put on shelves and sold to patients. Crucial to each step are strict regulations and security.
"We need to operate in a way that says we understand your concerns, here are all of the checks and balances we have in place to address those. We just don't see the same issues that they have in Denver and California as a result of the program here in Illinois, and now in Pennsylvania," said Jason Nelson, senior vice president at Cresco Yeltrah.
Pennsylvania lawmakers modeled the state's medical marijuana system after the one in place in Illinois, which features some of the strictest regulations for medical marijuana in the United States.
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Even on the loading dock of the cultivation facility in Illinois, there are serious security measures in place. Once products are loaded onto a truck, the drivers have no access to them until they arrive at the dispensary. The company and Illinois State Police track the trucks using GPS to make sure they're getting to the right spot and not making any unscheduled stops. The plan is to implement the same safeguards in Pennsylvania.
"You don't have products ending up in kids' hands, y ou don't have products ending up on the black market. This product we have here in Illinois would translate to any state easily and comfortably, because it's so highly scrutinized," said Nelson.
Those regulations also extend to patients. In Pennsylvania, doctors can approve a patient for medical marijuana treatment, but cannot write prescriptions for any specific types. That's left to patients and dispensaries to decide. Bachtell said that's led to a surprising trend in who is getting medical marijuana in Illinois.
"The demographic was going to look different than some of those other pioneering states out west. We knew it was going to be different. I didn't know it was going to be 72 percent over the age of 40," said Bachtell.
Medical marijuana has its detractors, most notably the Drug Enforcement Agency. The DEA considers marijuana a schedule one drug, just like heroin, and does not differentiate between recreational and medicinal use.
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