An outdoor cannabis cultivation facility located in Tooele County has just completed their harvest to supply medical cannabis to qualified patients.

The growing facility, which supplies WholesomeCo Cannabis, and represents one of two cannabis production facilities in Utah, opened earlier this year.

Alex Iorg, one of the founders of WholesomeCo Cannabis, was formerly the campaign manager for Utah’s medical cannabis ballot initiative, Proposition 2, which allowed the use of medical cannabis by qualified patients. It passed in 2018.

“It’s been remarkable to see the full process from the legalization effort, now to almost 90,000 qualified medical cannabis patients,” said Iorg, who is a patient himself.

Following the Prop. 2 campaign, Iorg joined a group of medical cannabis professionals and investors to apply for cultivation and distribution licenses in Utah’s new medical cannabis program. Iorg’s business partner, Chris Jeffery, stepped in as the company’s CEO with a goal of a future fully integrated company focused on the cultivation, processing, and delivery of medical cannabis to patients throughout the State of Utah.

A variety of strains are grown and harvested at the cultivation site.

“One of our favorite strains [to grow] is Chimera,” said Jeffery. “It has a good smell.”

Chimera, which contains up to 27% total THC by weight, is a hybrid strain made by crossing genetics from two strains, including “The Creature” and “White Truffle.” The strain is known for its unique flavor and terpene profile.

Other, more recognizable strains grown at the facility include Pineapple Express, OG Kush, and Acapulco Gold.

“Genetics are unique to the cannabis industry and help patients identify potential genetics from others’ experiences that could help them find the relief and effects they seek,” Iorg commented.

The growing process begins with planting seeds early in the summer, then the female plants are transferred outdoors.

“As seasons change and the sun begins to set earlier in the day, it signals to the plants to produce flowers for reproduction,” Iorg explained. “As the days get shorter and colder, they [the plants] mature. When the time is right, the plants are harvested, hung to dry, and then ultimately packed to sell as dried flower, or sent to extraction to capture the oily residue created on the plant’s flower.”

Oil is used in gummies, tinctures, and vape cartridges, which represent about 65% of the total sales in the state, Jeffery said. Although raw flower is available for purchase, users are banned from actually smoking it.

Utah’s legal marijuana medical market’s biggest competition comes from dealers in the illicit market and recreational sales in surrounding states. Although it may be legal to purchase while in surrounding states, it is illegal to transport cannabis across state lines.

“Wendover is not far from here, and people drive over there with their IDs without a medical card and purchase as much product as they want in a lot of different forms,” Jeffery explained. “When limiting the type of products that can be produced in the state or access to them, they [lawmakers] may just be pushing people to the out-of-state legal or illicit markets in Utah, which is larger than the legal market.”

WholesomeCo Cannabis has two cultivation locations in Utah: an outdoor facility in Tooele County and an indoor facility in Davis County. Their storefront is located in Bountiful and includes a drive-thru. The company also delivers to medical marijuana patients in Tooele County, as there is no marijuana pharmacy in the Tooele Valley.

To learn more about the company, visit www.wholesome.co.

“We are very thankful and grateful that Tooele County has worked with us to get this property licensed and approved,” Jeffery said. “We are grateful for employees who live locally and come from different parts of the state. We’re really glad that we serve around 50% of the patients here in Tooele County through delivery. This cultivation site will continue to enable more access and delivery to patients throughout Utah.”

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