Keystone Shops opens second medical marijuana dispensary in King of Prussia
is tight, and only four patients are allowed on the sales floor at one time, which is behind a locked door from the lobby.
Last month, the state board of health announced that dry leaf marijuana would now be permitted to be sold in Pennsylvania and added some more conditions to the 17 diseases previously permitted for marijuana treatment. These include addiction recovery therapy, cancer remission, terminal illness, severe or intractable pain and spastic disorders like Tourette’s syndrome. Other illnesses already on the list include MS, ALS, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy and glaucoma. Dry leaf product or “flower” for use in vaporizers will likely be available sometime this summer, state officials said.
“Hopefully, sometime this summer, flower will be on the shelves,” Badey said. “The state has done a good job keeping their deadlines so far.”
Flower “is the cheapest to process for THC,” the main psychoactive cannabinoid of marijuana, said Badey. “A lot less goes into the manufacture of flower. That will definitely translate into lower prices for patients.”
Flower also offers an “entourage effect,” he said. “When you combine all of the different cannabinoids and terpenes all into one, they all are supplemental to each other, so they increase their effectiveness when combined, so it’s almost like one plus one equals three.”
Keystone Shops offers a full array of medical marijuana products, including various liquids, tinctures, pills, oils and ointments, although lately some products containing CBD (a therapeutic non-intoxicating marijuana extract) have been in short supply, Badey said, because CBD takes more plant material to refine into a treatment than products that are higher in THC.
“People are discovering us,” said Badey. “We’ve been trying to get out the word that King of Prussia is open. … The program is really ramping up. I believe there are seven active dispensaries in the southeast region.”
Keystone Shops has 2,500 patients, and more than 40,000 people have registered as marijuana patients statewide, with about 10,000 obtaining a medical marijuana card, he said.
Patients must register with the state, obtain a physician’s certification, receive a medical marijuana identification card and finally visit a dispensary to buy their treatments. Health insurers do not, as yet, cover medical marijuana, Badey said. Doctors who prescribe medical marijuana must take a short training
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