Dickson City, Lackawanna County, PA -
Lackawanna County's third medical marijuana dispensary opened Friday in the Dickson City, PA.
Chicago-based Justice Grown held a ribbon-cutting and open house for its dispensary at 272 Main St. Sales will begin August 9, 2019.
The first dispensary in Lackawanna County was Columbia Care, which opened in April 2018 on North Keyser Avenue in Scranton, The second dispensary, BEYOND / HELLO at 1137 Moosic St. in Scranton, held an open house July 23 and began sales on Wednesday.
Previously, Justice Grown opened the first dispensary in Luzerne County in February 2018 in Edwardsville.
Some of the nearly two dozen severe medical conditions eligible for treatment with medical marijuana include cancer, terminal illnesses, autism, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, anxiety disorders and Parkinson's disease.
Justice Grown CEO Abbe Kruger described how medical marijuana has been life-changing for many patients and their families. Chemotherapy patients get their appetites back. Those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder have less anxiety, so they can enjoy their day and get a good night's sleep. Pain sufferers can stop using opioids. Families of patients with autism “kiss us and hug us and cry on our sales floor because their child is speaking for the first time or being permitted to be touched for the first time,” she said.
“When you live through those moments, there's really no turning back,” Kruger said. “We're thrilled to bring all of that to Lackawanna” County.
Dickson City Mayor Bob MacCallum warmly welcomed the dispensary. He recalled how the newly renovated Justice Grown building formerly contained an old Motorola Communications facility, a place where radios and pagers were sold and repaired. Just as communications have evolved, so, too, has medicine, giving rise to medical marijuana, he said.
“The transformation is just incredible,” MacCallum said. “I'm happy you're here in Dickson City and I'm really excited to be - I'm speaking for our community - to be welcoming you here and be part of that change.”
The burgeoning medical marijuana industry's growth in Lackawanna County and beyond, which also includes growing/processing facilities, produces many positive spinoffs in general, including economic development, job creation and advances in research and development and technology, said Bruce Reddock, an economic development specialist with the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce.
“It's nothing but good things for our community,” Reddock said.
