Dispensary opens doors
Cure Pennsylvania medical marijuana dispensary welcomes first patients
PHOENXIVILLE » Phoenixville’s medical marijuana dispensary opened April 6 and patients could not have been more pleased with their first experience.
“I live in Phoenixville so I’m really happy that there’s a dispensary here,” said Alex Theodos, 29, the first patient at Cure Pennsylvania in Phoenixville. “I’m excited that Pennsylvania being in medical marijuana is finally moving forward. These are really nice people after meeting them today and getting to know them. This is a really knowledgeable place.”
Cure Pennsylvania, located at 500 Kimberton Pike in Phoenixville, opened at 10 a.m. April 6 to a full parking lot. The dispensary followed the opening of another Cure location in Lancaster last month. Cure received its permit to open in June of last year and have been working since on opening their two locations.
“We looked at a couple hundred different sites when we were looking back last year in the spring during the permitting process,” said Ryan Smith, COO of Cure Pennsylvania. “We just think that this is a very progressive area. It’s an up-and-coming area in terms of the kind of thing that this is … We’re super excited to be here and we’re thrilled right now at the turnout.”
The dispensary’s focus is on giving patients access to a variety of medical marijuana treatments through professional consultations, which has been incredibly helpful to people like Theodos who has sought medical marijuana treatment since being diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma several years ago.
“I had stage three Hodgkins lymphoma when I was 20. I’m nine years in remission and I have PTSD stemming from it, so being able to legally buy PTSD medication is a lot better than the pharmaceuticals I’m on or going to the black market,” said Theodos.
Currently, Pennsylvania state law does not allow flower, dry leaf, plant, or edible forms of medical marijuana. Patients can, however, purchase marijuana products including vapes, tinctures, concentrates and pills, according to the dispensary’s website.
Those looking to try the dispensary are first required to obtain a medical marijuana card. No individual is allowed inside the building without first displaying their card at the window. Medical marijuana cards and photo IDs are
checked more than once after a patient enters the building and before leaving.
“Security is obviously a pretty significant thing in this industry. It’s really important for us to make sure we keep our patients safe, our employees safe and obviously the products safe as well. So part of the Department of Health regulations are pretty strict security guidelines across the board, everything from video coverage and security of the product to ensuring that patients have their card. We actually check your card twice before you leave the building with your medical marijuana,” said Smith.
The Cure website offers four steps to obtain a card for those patients who feel they could benefit from medical marijuana.
“The first thing for a patient to do is to register with the Department of Health on their website. Second is to go see a state certified physician to be recommended if they have one of the 17 qualifying conditions to receive medical marijuana. It’s like getting a prescription. From there, the Department of Health issues them a card, they come in here with their photo ID and their card and they’ll purchase medical marijuana here,” explained Smith.
For more information on Cure Pennsylvania visit curepenn.com.