Sunday, May 19, 2019
Staff report
YOUNGSTOWN
All systems are go for the opening of Mahoning County’s first and only medical marijuana dispensary by month’s end.
Leaf Relief, a dispensary at 4323 Market St., should open to qualified patients within 10 days, according to Terrell Washington, director of business operations for the company.
“We passed our final state inspection May 8, and we’re now in the process of getting our certificate of operation from the state,” Washington said.
He said he expects that final certification as well as licenses for Leaf Relief’s 15 employees within days.
Washington and others from the company led public tours of the 3,200-square-foot facility, formerly an office building occupied by a financial services company, Saturday afternoon. The state authorized the open house because no marijuana products were available on site Saturday, Washington said.
Employees answered questions on accessing medicinal marijuana. Patients with one of 21 qualifying medical conditions can buy and use medical marijuana after registering through a certified marijuana doctor in Ohio, of which there are 16 in Mahoning County.
Qualifying medical conditions are AIDS/HIV, ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, chronic and severe pain, Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, sickle cell anemia, spinal cord injuries, Tourette’s Syndrome, traumatic brain injury and ulcerative colitis.
The state Board of Pharmacy, governing authority for medical marijuana in the state, is expected to add anxiety and autism to those qualifying conditions at its meeting next month.
Washington said he believes Leaf Relief is in a great position for strong business and growth in Youngstown. It will be the only medical marijuana dispensary licensed to operate in Mahoning County, he said.
The Mahoning Valley’s other two dispensaries – in Warren and East Liverpool – are 25 and 47 minutes from Leaf Relief, creating a wide local market for the business, Washington said. He added that as the dispensary prospers, additional employees will be hired.
Leaf Relief, a division of Quest Wellness LLC, will operate like a pharmacy and be open Mondays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The business operations director added that his company also oversees a processing plant for marijuana products on the city’s South Side. That site will be used to help stock the dispensary.
For information on the dispensary, call 330-781-5198 or email info@Leafreliefohio.com.