Alamogordo Daily News / Jacqueline Devine
Published on February 8, 2017

ALAMOGORDO – County Commissioners were in full support of Ultra Health’s proposal, a medical cannabis company, to construct a cannabis production and distribution site in Tularosa at their regular County Commission meeting Thursday.

Ultra Health announced the plan in January saying that the medical cannabis cultivation site will be the largest in the state.

The growth site will sit on 200 acres on Old Tularosa Farm Road, which is on county land. It will include indoor and outdoor medical cannabis cultivation, as well as hemp production.

Ultra Health President and CEO Duke Rodriguez said the Tulie cultivation site will employ about 120 local residents.

Ultra Health’s largest and most advanced cultivation center is currently in Bernalillo, New Mexico. The cannabis cultivation campus sits on 11 acres and is home to a total of 90,000 square feet of greenhouse space and production buildings where the medical cannabis is grown and processed.

“The site in Tularosa will be an upgrade beyond that,” Rodriguez said. “This hasn’t been done anywhere around the country, yet alone New Mexico.”

He said the economic impact of the cultivation site will be huge for southern New Mexico that could bring millions of dollars of revenue a year.

“New Mexico has 600 continuous miles with Texas. It’s the second largest state in the country and we’ve never been able to tap the economic power available from Texas,” Rodriguez said. “This location in Tularosa will really provide the fuel for tapping into that economy.”

He said he believes cannabis will be legalized in a few short years. Rodriguez also said New Mexico tapping into the industry would be a smart move and follows the lead of other states like Colorado and California.

More: Ultra Health to open state’s largest cannabis producing site in Tularosa

“We are anticipating for the future, we’re making an investment,” he said. “We are not drug dealers, we are not potheads. We’re experienced medical and business professionals who are committed to doing this right. The best proof is to visit our facilities, stores and locations. I have no embarrassment to say I am fully committed to cannabis. It’s good for the economy, good for our people and it’s not toxic or addictive. It’s not a gateway drug either, it improves lives.”

There are currently about 1,123 enrolled patients from Otero County in the state’s Medical Cannabis Program.

“I am pleased to tell you that the program in the next 30 days will top over 50,000 enrolled patients in the Medical Cannabis Program,” Rodriguez said.

According to Ultra Health, there should be over 60,000 enrolled patients in the program by the end of December.

The cultivation site in Tularosa will allow students from New Mexico State University-Alamogordo to have internship opportunities which are also available at the Bernalillo site.

According to a previous Daily News Report, the cultivation site will also take advantage of natural sunlight and secure water rights to more than 1,000 acre feet of water, the equivalence of 325.9 million gallons of water per year.

The medical cannabis plants will be grown indoors on 20 acres in air-supported, wind-assisted greenhouses. The outdoor medical cannabis fields will stretch across 80 acres of land on the west side of the ultramodern greenhouses. Behind the cannabis fields will be the area where hemp is produced where it will be manufactured into high CBD oils, topicals and concentrates as well as fibers and other products which will be available at the Ultra Health’s Emporio in Albuquerque.

Commissioners asked Rodriguez about security measures which was a concern for them.

Rodriguez said the company has been in communication with the Otero County Sheriff’s Office and are aware of the project.

More: Ultra Health officially opens its door in Alamogordo

He also said the growth site will be equipped with motion detectors and surveillance cameras.

Tularosa Mayor Ray Cordova who was in attendance for the meeting said he is also in full support of the cannabis cultivation site and has spoken to residents who also support it.

“We took a tour of one of the sites and it was really impressive,” Cordova said. “I talked to residents, and they were all supportive of it.”

Commissioner Janet White said she had no objections to the proposal at this time.

“I have no objection to anything that will improve the livelihood and economy,” White said. “I don’t see any drawbacks right now.”

Commission Chairman Lori Bies said she supports the site in Tularosa because she grew up in northern California and has knowledge of growth sites.

Commissioner Susan Flores who has been very vocal about the site said she thinks it would be a great opportunity for the county, especially Tularosa.

Rodriguez said the cannabis cultivation site should be open by spring 2019.

“If you follow comments on social media, which I usually don’t do, people have been saying that if you don’t know where Tularosa or Otero County is, you’ll know now,” Rodriguez said.

For more information on Ultra Health and its services, visit their website at ultrahealth.com