Opening Date Set for New Medical Marijuana Dispensary in State College

The Centre Region’s second medical marijuana dispensary is ready to open its doors.

Curaleaf will hold a grand opening on Monday for its new dispensary in the former Citizens Bank building at 1248 S. Atherton St. in State College, according to a news release.

A ribbon cutting with the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County will take place at 8:45 a.m., followed by vendor pop-ups from noon to 2 p.m. The company also donated $5,000 to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank in honor of the opening.

In addition to the State College location, Curaleaf will open a dispensary next month in Erie, giving the Massachusetts-based company 16 dispensaries in Pennsylvania and 127 nationwide. It currently serves more than 350,000 registered patients in 23 states.

“Curaleaf is excited to begin serving our newest patient communities in State College and Erie through our premium medical products and inclusive retail experiences,” Curaleaf CEO Joe Bayern said in a statement. “Expanding our presence within Pennsylvania enables us to further support our patients by providing them with quality products and service to make confident and informed decisions about their medical marijuana journeys.”

A Curaleaf spokesperson previously said the State College dispensary will employ 20 to 25 people. It will offer all forms of cannabis permitted in Pennsylvania, including vaporizers, tinctures, concentrates and whole flower products.

Patients will also be able to place orders online.

In the coming weeks, Curaleaf will offer grand opening discounts to veterans, seniors, students and first-time patients at all Pennsylvania locations, according to the release.

Curaleaf will join Nature’s Medicines, 2105 N. Atherton St. in Patton Township, as Centre County medical marijuana dispensaries. Nature’s Medicines opened in 2018 and was the county’s first dispensary after Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Program was signed into law in 2016.

But they won’t be the last.

PharmaCann Inc. plans to open a Verilife dispensary in the former HomeD Pizzeria building at 1820 S. Atherton St. The company confirmed plans for the College Township location in July 2021. In December, a Verilife spokesperson said the dispensary was aiming to open in the first quarter of 2022.

Verilife currently has seven dispensaries in Pennsylvania, including one in Williamsport.