BEND, OR -- A Texas-based marijuana dispensary company has announced plans to relocate its corporate headquarters to the High Desert. The President of Med-Cannabis Pharma, Inc and one of its investors have already moved to Bend. Graciela Moreno tells KBND she wanted to move her company to Oregon, and other parts of the state just didn’t fit her vision for the future. "I think that Bend actually has quite a bit more to offer our company and also our employees. I think it offers a great balance of work life and recreational and family life, as well. It’s an up and coming city and I just really enjoy the people here and I think that we can find some great employees."
She says the region is ideal for the company's plans for growth around the state, as they look forward to the legalization of recreational pot, in July. "We’ll be expanding here and I know that Redmond soon is probably going to open up. We’ve got an eye out there and some of the moratoriums that are being lifted in the coming months, so we’re looking to expand retail outlets. We’re also looking to start our grow facility in Central Oregon, in Bend."
Moreno says Med-Cannabis Pharma is still looking for office space, and admits some realtors and landlords are reluctant to discuss a lease. "I’ve talked to several landlords, several different city ordinances and trying to find out more information and presenting who we are. We’re running things on a corporate level; we also have the business mentality, as well. We want everything to be safe access, but there is some reluctance, even to lease space to us." The company will soon be looking for warehouse space in or near Bend, to open its own grow facility, and plans to eventually launch its own product line. Med-Cannabis Pharma is a publicly traded company with several medical marijuana dispensaries in Oregon, including one in Bend.
