The Knox Cannabis Dispensary
Knox Cannabis is Orlando’s first legally sanctioned shop
opens its doors Friday, becoming the first legally sanctioned medical marijuana shop in Orlando.
Wearing a Grateful Dead Tshirt, cancer survivor Bruce Grossman emerged jubilant Friday from the Knox Cannabis Dispensary as the first paying customer of Orlando’s first legal medical marijuana shop. He spent $190. “I’m not copping weed from a guy down the street,” said Grossman, 56, of Maitland. “I’m buying it legitimately from a vendor who’s got a storefront [and] who’s selling me a medical-grade product that hopefully I can depend on for its quality and efficacy and I can continue my life and hopefully feel better.”
A five-time cancer survivor with one lung, Grossman said he suffers from constant pain from multiple surgeries to cut out reoccurring tumors.
He was among a dozen patients waiting for the doors of the dispensary to open. A ribbon-cutting ceremony preceded the opening in the Ivanhoe Village neighborhood, between Florida Hospital and downtown Orlando.
The marijuana is grown and processed on dedicated acreage at Knox Nursery in Winter Garden. The company was one of seven that received one of the coveted state licenses that allowed it entry into the potentially multibillion-dollar business.
On Monday, the Orlando City Council is expected to expand the range of cannabis products that Knox can sell to all those permissible under state law. Knox Chief Executive Officer José Hidalgo said the dispensary would stock about 30 products in a couple of weeks.
There are 730 patients in the Orlando area approved by the state to receive medical marijuana, he said.
Until now, they could receive prescriptions only by mail unless they traveled to a dispensary outside Central Florida.
Some neighborhood merchants welcomed the dispensary, which is next door to White Wolf Cafe, saying it may bring new customers to the area.
“If they have a prescription and they need to get cannabis as medication, they will be here in our neighborhood,” said Marilyn Vaca, a member of Ivanhoe Village Main Street. “And they can also shop and they can also enjoy some of the amazing restaurants and beautiful businesses we have here … We’re a very forward-thinking community and we’re also a very welcoming community.”
One man, who refused to be quoted by name, stood with his arms folded, glaring at the pomp of the event.
“It’s a big lie,” he groused.
“We want to make sure everybody feels they had the best retail experience ever.” Knox CEO José Hidalgo
“Most aren’t sick.”
For now, Knox will sell only two strains of cannabis oil that can be inhaled using a vaporizer or added to food or on the tongue. The products are called Alcor and Regor.
The active ingredient, cannabidiol, can relax users but doesn’t get them high, although Hidalgo said they may feel lightheaded. Advocates say the drug can ease the pain of cancer, muscle spasms, seizures and other serious maladies.
Knox officials emphasized the medical, pharmaceutical nature of their business.
“We don’t use any stoner names,” Hidalgo said. “You’re not going to see any Kush or bubblegum.”
But like other retail companies, Knox is offering promotional offers including free delivery, discounts for veterans and $10 gift cards for patients on their birthdays.
Anthony Johnson, 51, couldn’t get medical marijuana Friday because his prescription, required by state law, wasn’t sent to Knox. He said it would have been his first time.
The dispensary will mean “a different choice,” said the retired Orlando soldier, who has battled depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and back pain.
“I’m hoping medical marijuana will be a better fit than taking opiates, which I’ve been taking over the last several years,” said Johnson, who was accompanied by his wife, Leticia, 41.
“It’s sad to see him go through the pain he goes through on a daily basis,” she said.
Other patients also said they had been awaiting the day when they did not have to wait on the mail or travel hours to fill a prescription.
“It’s been legal in California since 1996,” said Vicki Boell, 53, who uses cannabis to control chronic muscle spasms. “This is going to be so much better for me.”
She has been receiving her cannabis by mail.
The 2,600-square-foot dispensary will have an armed security guard on duty whenever it’s open — from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends. It also has security cameras in the sleek interior, which is gleaming white with accents of wire-brushed European oak paneling.
The business accepts cash and debit cards only. A 600-milligram vial sells for $90 and a 300-milligram vial for $45.
The company also sells Knox mugs, hats and compression socks.
Patients enter through a waiting room, then walk through a door to the dispensary, which has a frosted-glass wall on the Orange Avenue side. There’s a private room for consultations.
“We want to make sure everybody feels they had the best retail experience ever,” Hidalgo said. Knox opened its first dispensary in the state less than two weeks ago in Gainesville and is planning to open another soon in Tallahassee, followed by several more.