SAFFORD — While Graham County verifies a sampling of signatures to determine if a proposed referendum to overturn a Board of Supervisors’ decision to rezone a portion of the greenhouses in Bonita to allow a medical-grade cannabis grow qualifies for the ballot, one of the area’s legislators said she plans to investigate the issue from a state perspective.
The Resolute Group, a public relations, campaign, strategic consulting and direct mail company in Phoenix, is behind the referendum that targets just the rezoning for Bayacan, which seeks to purchase greenhouse Site 6 and possible Site 5 from NatureSweet for the cannabis grow.
The referendum does not seek overturn the board’s rezoning that allows a smaller cannabis grow in Eden by the Colvin family.
State Rep. Gail Griffin, R-Hereford, said she was unaware the Maricopa County firm was seeking to dictate what businesses can operate in Graham County.
“We’ve always believed in local control, local control, local control,” she said. “I’ll have to look and see what can be done at the state level to address this particular issue.”
Bayacan officials said the company is seeking to hire 150 people for the first phase of development at Site 6, at a starting salary of about $35,000 per year plus benefits. At build-out, the company expects to employ about 600. If Bayacan purchases Site 5, that number would double.
Meanwhile, NatureSweet will turn Sites 1 and 2 into research and development facilities. NatureSweet officials have met with Eastern Arizona College leadership about educational partnership opportunities at an R&D facility.
