The area’s first medical marijuana dispensary, Nature’s Medicine is having a soft opening on Thursday (June 21).
Managers Angel and Nia Rodriguez have come from the Pittsburgh area to run the facility at 2105 N. Atherton St., the former site of El Jalisco’s. Since they arrived two weeks ago, patients have been knocking on the door of the facility every day asking when they will open. Currently, the closest medical marijuana facility for patients in Centre County is near Harrisburg.
Angel Rodriguez said he is glad to be opening up, so patients can receive the medicine they need without having to drive so far.
“We are opening to give the community some relief from having to go a long distance just to get something they need,” said Rodriguez. He added that the dispensary will have a grand opening on Wednesday, June 27. The soft opening will allow patients to speak with a pharmacist, and possibly receive medical marijuana as well.
Details for the grand opening are still in the works, but Rodriguez said he is thinking there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and he wants the public to be included.
“The people in the community will be a part of it, because we are here for them, also. This is not something we are trying to hide from anybody. We want people from the community to come out and see what we are doing and talk to us,” he said. “We are very approachable. We want everyone to be educated.”
The husband-and-wife team hope to make a positive impact on the community. Nia Rodriguez has personal experience with medical marijuana and understands how it can help people. She said she had back problems for many years, and was amazed at the difference between medical marijuana and other prescription medications she was given through the years.
“We want people to have a safer alternative and more natural alternative to synthetic drugs,” she said. When she first moved back to Pennsylvania, she had to use drugs such as oxycodone because she did not have her medical marijuana card from the state, yet.
“I had to go back on the hard medicines and it was just miserable,’ Nia said. ‘We have four daughters, and I couldn’t spend time with them because I was just groggy.”
She said when she first tried medical marijuana she could still function, and it helped managed the pain in her back. “I mean it is not a miracle cure, but I can function, I can do things. I can get up and move without being tired all the time.”
The couple hopes to provide that same kind of relief for area patients. Angel said the community has been welcoming so far, and they are happy to be a part of State College. He said the public should feel at ease, because security at the dispensary is strong, with cameras and locked doors throughout the facility. No person is allowed in without a state-issued medical marijuana card and a state photo ID. At the Arizona facility where he worked, he said there were never any violent incidents.
The waiting room of the office has a calming feeling, and patients will wait there to enter another locked room, where they will see a pharmacist who will help them determine the best type of product for their needs. The dispensary will offer a variety of medical marijuana products, including oils, lotions, vape cartridges and pills. The state will soon allow for the smokeable flower to be sold at dispensaries, but that will not be available at Nature’s Medicine at this time.
A permit for the dispensary was awarded by the state to PA Health & Wellness LLC in June 2017 and co-founder Mark Steinmetz discussed plans for opening the facility in early March.
Nature’s Medicine will be from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Wednesdays through Saturdays.
