Marla Jones, Managing Editor
HENAGAR, ALA.-- On June 7, 2022, the City of Henagar hosted a Town Hall Meeting to discuss with its citizens the possibility of a medical cannabis plant being located in the Henagar Industrial Park.
In the 2021 legislative session, The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) was established and signed into law by Governor Kay Ivey.
The City of Henagar invited Henagar residents to attend the Town Hall Meeting as RX Connection representatives answered questions from residents regarding the facility. A crowd of approximately 150 Henagar citizens was in attendance.
The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission began considering applications on September 1, 2022. Only five licenses to grow in the state of Alabama will be awarded. Thirty-eight have applied for the license. RX Connections President Troy King applied for an integrated license for a potential facility in Henagar.
King, a former Alabama Attorney General, said that along with having many dear friends in the area, he picked Henagar as a potential site for a reason.
“When we began looking for the perfect site, we gravitated towards North Alabama” stated King. “We gravitated toward an area that was hit hard by NAFTA (North Alabama Free Trade Agreement) and saw a lot of jobs leave and we came to explore the possibility, and I’ll be honest, we were greeted so warmly up here by everyone.”
The operation if awarded for Henagar, will be a seed-to-sale location. They would grow, process, distribute, and operate dispensaries. Workers would go through background checks and receive all necessary training to be successful. The goal of RX Connections is to hire employees from the area.
King stated that up to 200 jobs would be created with pay that would be starting at $15 per hour. Second Tier Managers would have a salary of $50 to $60K per year, Director Level Salary would range from $85- to $120K per year. The company would provide a full benefits package and advancement opportunities.
The economic impact of the creation of 200 jobs would directly affect Henagar with $8,079,972 in compensation to workers, according to Jobs EQ.
King along with his team welcomed comments and concerns from residents. Most of the concerns would be the potential smell from the facility and safety.
Residents were assured that this facility would all be under a roof with a circulated air system. There would also be full-time security onsite.
Another concern about the possible location near the Henagar Industrial Park would be the road conditions due to heavy traffic and large trucks.
Mayor Lee Davis stated that the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) would provide grants for widening the streets and making them suitable for traffic According to a spokesman for RX Connections, the largest vehicle that would be used after opening the plant would be carrier vans.
The meeting on June 7, 2022, was to address the concerns of citizens and open up the door of communications. RX Connections has asked that citizens gather for another Community Meeting at the Henagar Community Center, on Tuesday, May 2 beginning at 6 p.m. Integrated licenses will be awarded on June 12, 2023. If awarded, the company wants to be ready to start construction immediately.
