Cresco Labs, based in Chicago, is aiming to be Illinois’ biggest cannabis supplier for the 120 new dispensaries expected to come on line in the state in the next year. Also one of the nation’s largest cannabis companies, Cresco has built a massive, showcase grow facility in Lincoln, Illinois, a small town equidistant from Springfield and Peoria.

Everything about the Lincoln facility is big, creating a whole new set of operations requirements that more modest cultivation sites don’t have to deal with. For instance, the facility has a staffer just to manage harvest and grow schedules. Another person just manages irrigation and nutrient supply for plants.

While the facility seems big today, it may only be a harbinger of what’s to come for cannabis if consumer adoption rates keep growing and the industry begins to function like any other consumer packaged goods industry.

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Editor Mike is a co-founder and the editor of Grown In, a U.S. national cannabis industry newsletter and training company. His career has taken him from Capitol Hill to Chicago City Hall, from...