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Take a look inside medical marijuana dispensary opening in West Manchester Township


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The York area's first medical marijuana dispensary will open Oct. 5. RISE held an open house at its 4395 W. Market St., facility Oct. 2.

Community members had an opportunity to meet the staff, learn about the products and get a tour of the new facility.

This will be the second dispensary in York County. A facility opened Penn Township in June.

RISE is owned by Green Thumb Industries but is named after RISE Dispensaries because the two are in collaboration.

“It’s inspiring to be a part of this,” GTI Pennsylvania Market President Tim Hawkins said. “It’s wonderful to have patients come in and see the condition they are in and then a few weeks later, or a month later see how they develop and see what changes for them.”

Hawkins said the opioid epidemic led GTI to open a dispensary in York – as an alternative treatment for pain and other ailments. "This is an alternative medicine," he said. "We don't claim that it's a cure, it's not for everyone." 

Former Baltimore Raven Eugene Monroe and former Philadelphia Flyer Riley Cote were on hand for the opening. The two shared some insight on the benefits of medical marijuana. Cote said the medication helped him alleviate stress and anxiety.

KW Ventures managing partner Jonathan Gusdorff said it’s an honor to serve patients in this area and that so far there has been a great response from the community.

Medical marijuana was signed into law in Pennsylvania on April 16, 2016. Patients can apply for a medical marijuana card if they suffer from at least one of the 21 serious medical conditions accepted by the state.

RISE will offer all forms of medical marijuana that have been approved by the state. The list of products include:

  • Pill
  • Oil
  • Topical forms (gel, creams and ointments)
  • Tincture
  • Liquid
  • Dry leaf

The dispensary will also carry products made by eight of the 10 grower processors in the state. Prices will be determined based on the form and quantity of the products, but $25 will be the starting price point. 

“The least expensive forms that are available come in the form of dry leaf and some of the more expensive forms come in the form of concentrates,” Gusdorff said.

All sales will be cash only because marijuana is still illegal under federal law in the U.S. The dispensary will have an ATM on-site. 

Because edibles are not legal in the state, Gusdorff and RISE general manager Carrie Lester said the closest alternative will be pills and oils.

Spring Grove resident Holly Blyer said she’s looking forward to having a dispensary closer to her and that there was a huge need for one in the York area.

“I feel that cannabis is medicine and I wanted to be a part of that,” she said.

Lester said the dispensary has about 10 employees but will add more if there is a demand.

The dispensary will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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Also of interest, a gallery of photos below: