PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County Cannabis is shipping its first marijuana products this month, and the owner hopes it will build East Jefferson County’s reputation as a source of quality marijuana.
“We want to establish a Jefferson County brand,” said Marty Gay, who with his son, Dakota Sandoval, owns the company in Glen Cove Business Park.
“We want to provide people with a good high for an affordable price.”
The company — the first in the county to grow and produce marijuana products for local sale, Gay says — is putting the finishing touches on its initial shipment, which is a blend of several different strains.
The idea of a blend, Gay said, is unique because it allows the vendor to change the taste, strength and effects of the product.
“We will be trying a lot of different combinations in the future, but we aren’t really sure if the market will accept a blend,” he said.
The first shipment is from a 9-pound home-grown crop and consists of 36 boxes containing 7 grams each that Gay hopes will sell for just under $65.
Much of the initial shipment will be sent as samples to retailers, he said.
One of the initial outlets will be Sea Change Cannabis, 282332 Highway 101 in Discovery Bay, Gay said.
Gay, 65, has so far invested about $250,000 of his own money into the business, which he expects to become profitable “within a year or so.”
He expects to establish a 10-member board of directors and eventually turn his current crop of 20 volunteers into paid employees.
The intent is to build a company that provides living-wage jobs in Jefferson County, Gay said.
Peninsula Cannabis in Port Angeles also produces marijuana products that are sold in retail stores.
Gay has run several businesses, including a restaurant in California. He is chief financial officer for the Quimper Mercantile Co., co-owner of Windermere Port Townsend and president of the board of Team Jefferson.
“I like this business because it’s brand new,” he said.
“It’s a tremendous challenge, something that hasn’t been done before.”
State voters, including 55 percent in Clallam County and 65 percent in Jefferson County, approved Initiative 502 in 2012 to legalize the possession and sale of up to 1 ounce of marijuana by those older than 21.
Jefferson County code currently prevents Gay from producing anything other than a smokeable product in the current location.
But he hopes eventually to branch out into ingestible and topical products such as creams, lotions and cosmetics.
The products are named after clouds, with the first two christened Cumulous and Nimbus.
Marijuana products are divided into two categories: Sativa, considered to be energizing, and Indica, anesthetizing.
With this in mind, Sativa is often characterized as “clean your house pot,” while Indica is labeled as “couch lock pot.”
“We are more on the ‘clean your house’ side,” Gay said.
“Most of the people in my target audience don’t want to veg out.”
Gay, a longtime smoker, said he finds the drug’s effects stimulating.
“If I was going to give a presentation, I wouldn’t smoke a joint right before, but in most cases, it’s no big deal,” he said.
Gay called the rules governing recreational marijuana “complicated.”
His products must be sold through retail outlets. He is not allowed to offer direct samples or involve nonemployees in his testing process.
The company may eventually purchase product from elsewhere for processing, but the current crop is all grown in its local facility, Gay said.
Current or future drought conditions won’t affect the business, as marijuana cultivation doesn’t require much water, according to Kyle Craig, a consulting horticulturist who is working with Gay.
“We use so little water,” he said.
“Our inside grow uses around 150 gallons a week, while the standard for similar operations is 250 gallons a day.”
Water, Craig said, isn’t necessary to produce a robust marijuana crop.
“The traditional genetic epicenters for cannabis are India, Pakistan and Lebanon,” he said.
“These are not tropical rain forests; they are dry, temperate areas.”
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.