Atwal Eye owners pitch medical marijuana plant in Niagara County

A second group from Western New York is working to land a medical marijuana license with a growing and distribution facility in Niagara County. Members of the Atwal family approached the Town of Wilson with plans to a medical marijuana cultivation facility at the former Pfeiffer Foods salad dressing plant. Wilson town board members voted this week to approve the application, giving the application the local support needed as part of its application to the state Department of Health. According to information filed by Far(m)ed New York LLC with the town, plans call for converting the 86,000-square-foot plant into a facility for cultivation, extraction and formulation of pharmaceutical grade cannibis. Just months ago, the Town of Lewiston came out in support of a similar proposal by Herbal Agriculture LLC, a company with ties to Modern Disposal in Lewiston, which plans to expand a commercial tomato greenhouse for medical marijuana cultivation. Far(m)ed New York LLC is owned by Dr. Ephraim Atwal and Dr. Amar Atwal, principals in the Atwal Eye Care business. Based on Harlem Road in Cheektowaga, Atwal Eye Care has five locations with 110 total staff. In addition to their ophthalmology and surgical practice, the Atwals also have experience in agriculture, operating a commercial corn business on Chestnut Road in the Town of Newfane under the company name Lawta Farms LLC.