A new medical marijuana dispensary has opened in Queens, with a vibe more reminiscent of a health spa than where one might imagine going to buy a vaporizer of weed.
The first downstate and operational medical marijuana dispensary opened its doors to patients Tuesday at 107-18 70the Road in Forest Hills, Queens -- cannabinoid retailer Curaleaf’s fourth location in New York State.
The all white-walled dispensary is designed to make consumers feel calm and at peace, while soothing music plays in the background. Giant glass windows in the front make for curiosity from the outside, with Curaleaf saying the idea is for the dispensary to operate in plain sight.
“We don’t want patients to feel embarrassed about why they are here," Curaleaf director of dispensary operations Mike Conway explained.
The dispensary will provide access to high-quality, medical-grade cannabis for patients suffering from chronic pain, cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Parkinson’s Disease and other qualifying conditions under the New York State Department of Health’s medical marijuana program.
Patients with a NY State ID, Medical Marijuana Card, and Registry ID can register for free to make an appointment with a practitioner. First-time patients will receive a one-on-one consultation to discuss which manner of consumption fits best. Every practitioner at the dispensary has pharmaceutical experience.
For now, patients can ingest the medical marijuana by means of a capsule (starting at $60), vaporizer ($65), or tincture ($50). The company hopes to add additional choices for their patients, such as tablets, in the future.
Local
Mike hopes that Curaleaf dispensaries like the one in Forest Hills will bring more “focus on the medical use [of marijuana]... and take away reliance from drugs like opioids”.
