Quincy, Mass. – The medical marijuana dispensary in West Quincy officially opens for business Wednesday, but the facility is taking patients by appointment only for the first two weeks.
Donna Rheaume, a spokeswoman for Ermont Inc., the owner of the dispensary at 216 Ricciuti Drive, told the Patriot Ledger the state Department of Public Health gave the facility final approval to sell medical marijuana last Wednesday.
“We’re very excited to begin serving patients,” Rheaume said. “We’re very proud of this facility.”
But Rheaume stressed that for approximately the first two weeks of business, walk-in patients and caregivers will not be accepted at Ermont’s dispensary, located next to Quincy Auto Auction and Granite Links Golf Course. Instead, they must call 617-804-2701 to schedule an appointment. For more information, visit ermontinc.org.
“We want to make sure we have enough inventory and our systems are working properly,” Rheaume said of why the dispensary is appointment-only the first two weeks.
After two weeks, patients can walk in on a first-come, first-served basis, she said. To buy medical marijuana, patients and caregivers must be registered with the state.
The 36,404-square-foot facility is only the eighth dispensary to open since medical marijuana was legalized by state voters four years ago. Other dispensaries have opened in Boston, Salem, Brockton, Northampton, Ayer, Brookline and Lowell.
As of late late month, dispensaries in Newton and Milford, like the one in Quincy, were awaiting final approval from the state to sell medical marijuana.
Ermont’s dispensary is only the fourth in the state to cultivate and sell the drug from the same location. The facilities in Lowell, Brockton and Ayer are also growing marijuana onsite.
Jack Hudson, Ermont’s owner, has invested in stringent security measures at the dispensary site, outfitting the building with cameras, key-card door locks and a security guard station that will be manned around the clock.
The medical marijuana law was approved by state voters in 2012 and went into effect in 2013, allowing patients with debilitating conditions who get permission from a doctor to buy marijuana from a dispensary, or to grow it themselves if they can’t get to the dispensary.
Ermont had initially planned to open the West Quincy dispensary in the summer of 2014, but the opening was pushed back repeatedly due to financing challenges and delays in the state’s licensing process.
Next month, state voters will decide whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use for people 21 and older. Hudson has said the Quincy dispensary will only sell medical marijuana to qualifying patients, even if the state approves the drug for recreational use.
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Full Article: Quincy Marijuana Dispensary Opens For Business Wednesday
Author: Patrick Ronan
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