Centre County’s first medical marijuana dispensary is about two weeks away from opening, according to Nature’s Medicine co-founder Mark Steinmetz.
Nature’s Medicine, located at 2105 N. Atherton St. in State College, was expected to open in May, but Steinmetz said it took a bit longer to hire staff, get the products and finish up all the needed inspections. A soft opening will likely take place in mid-June, once the final inspection by the Department of Health is completed, Steinmetz said.
“It’s a long time coming,” Steinmetz said.
The dispensary has about five employees, all of whom had to go through FBI background checks, he said. A variety of medical marijuana products will be available, including oils, vape cartridges and pills.
In order to purchase Nature Medicine’s products, customers must have a medical marijuana card. To obtain one, you’ll need to create a profile on the state Department of Health’s patients and caregivers registry and then get a certification from an approved physician that says you suffer from one of the 17 qualifying medical conditions. Finally, return to the online registry and pay $50 to the health department for the ID card.
According to the Department of Health, medical marijuana has been shown to alleviate pain in those who suffer from certain serious medical conditions: cancer, glaucoma, epilepsy, Crohn’s disease, Huntington’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder and others.
