After lengthy process, medical pot dispensary now open in Monroe

The official debut Friday of a medical marijuana dispensary at 300 N. Main St. in Monroe drew dozens of people.

Jimmy Gould, CEO of Cannascend, said the shop, named Strawberry Fields, opened after nearly seven years of work to get medical marijuana in Ohio and two years of working to bring it to Monroe.

Kenneth Brech of Monroe said he likes having a medical marijuana dispensary within a five-minute drive from his home.

Medical marijuana, he said, helps “quite a bit” with his migraine headaches, much more than a decade’s worth of prescription medication and a nerve block.

“It’s quicker,” he said. “It helps alleviate (the pain).”

Gould said he and others at Cannascend worked with state legislators to build a program under House Bill 523 that would work “for all kinds of people.”

“They’ve all been willing to have dialogue, and when you have dialogue, people cross the aisles and make things happen, something that I think is lacking in our country,” he said.

In June 2016, former Gov. John Kasich signed a bill that

“It’s a dream come true. Our goal was to serve the patients of Ohio and make this a reality and help people as an alternative therapy, which we think has tremendous benefits.” Cannascend CEO Jimmy Gould authorized use of cannabis by patients with 21 conditions, including cancer and chronic pain, in the form of edibles, oils, patches and vaporizing. Patients and their caregivers will be allowed to possess up to a 90-day supply. Smoking or home growing marijuana remains barred.

Of the 56 provisional licenses for dispensaries approved last summer by the state, two were in Butler County. In addition to Strawberry Fields in Monroe, the other was Bloom Medicinals, a medical marijuana dispensary in Seven Mile that opened Thursday.

Gould said he’s hoping the medical community will work with marijuana dispensaries, “get educated” on its benefits and understand that medical marijuana is “an idea whose time has come.”

Strawberry Fields’ three other Ohio dispensaries will open next week, including Tuesday in Marietta, Wednesday in Dayton and Thursday in Logan.