Ukiah tribe touts benefits of proposed pot farm

The Pinoleville Pomo Nation anticipates that its planned 2.5-acre medical marijuana facility outside Ukiah will generate jobs and revenue that will benefit its members, according to a statement issued by its chairwoman late Wednesday.

The tribe’s cannabis cultivation operation - which includes a partnership with Colorado and Kansas-based corporations - will help pay for the tribe’s social programs, including elder care, child care, health care and education, tribal Chairwoman Leona Williams said.

The tribe has about 250 members, including about 70 members who reside on the Rancheria property, which is comprised largely of individually owned parcels. The cannabis operation is expected to employ between 50 and 100 people, tribal representatives said earlier.

Williams’ statement focused primarily on safety and legal issues. She said the tribe will establish oversight procedures that will ensure the cannabis cooperative is legal and secure and does not generate significant off-reservation impacts.

“The tribe will actively monitor and oversee the operation to ensure compliance with the law and any employee or other person found in violation of state law will be turned over to the local law enforcement to be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible,” she stated.

The tribe first announced its plans for the 110,000-square-foot facility last week. It’s believed to be the first large-scale cannabis production facility on Indian lands in California and possibly the country. U.S. Justice Department officials have declined to comment on the plan.

It’s the first of three such facilities planned in California by United Cannabis and Fox Barry Farms. FoxBarry President Barry Brautman last week told The Press Democrat the greenhouses will be fenced and patrolled by security officers.

Growing inside will be thousands of brand-name pot plants developed by United Cannabis, a marijuana research and development company, Brautman said. FoxBarry has entered an agreement by which it is the exclusive distributor of United Cannabis products in California.

The facility is expected to be operational in February.

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemo?crat.com. On Twitter ?@MendoReporter