Marijuana processing business planned for Albany

An Albany woman plans to open a marijuana processing business next month to convert the weed provided by medical cardholders into a smokeless substance.
Owner Rhea Graham, 50, who has a medical marijuana card, said she expects to be flooded with customers when she begins operating Albany’s Canna Kitchen & Research on Friday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day.
“I chose that day because I am a 20-year Air Force veteran, the power of 11/11/11, and I expect people will want to drop by after the parade,” she said.
At her business, Graham will wash the marijuana and then process it primarily into butter, oils, tinctures, salves and capsules.
Albany police Capt. Eric Carter said this about the new business in an email:
“This particular situation is a new twist on things; however, as far as marijuana dispensaries are concerned, we are in discussion with the district attorney’s office and conducting the research necessary to come to a conclusion as to the legality of what is being proposed.”
Graham, who has lived in Albany 13 years, wants to emphasize her operation is not a place where people will go to hang out. She is there only to conduct business.
She also wants people to know how important it is to wash their medical marijuana.
“You wash your lettuce, don’t you?” she said. “When the plants grow, people spray for mites and other things but they don’t want to clean the plants because they are afraid they will wash off the THC, the psychoactive part of marijuana, but that’s not the case.”
Graham said she expects to do well because no one else in the area provides the same service.
David Martineau, a planner with the city, said his department is reviewing Graham’s site plan application. So far, he has not seen any problems with it.
Her location is zoned light industrial, and Graham’s business meets the city’s code criteria for that site. Previously, the 2,075-square-foot space her business will occupy contained a grass seed packing operation.
“Anytime there’s a change in the use of a building, we look to see if any additional impacts will be created, such as whether there will be a need for more parking, if there will be more foot traffic, any number of things,” Martineau said. “From what we can tell, we think there will be just 10 members a day going to the business.”
Graham said her hours are still in flux. She will be open Tuesday through Saturday starting at 11 a.m. She does not know if she will close at 6 or 8 p.m.