It was just last weekend that Missouri made history in the state as medicinal marijuana went on sale for the very first time.
Droves of eager customers were lining the sidewalk outside of N’Bliss in Manchester this past Saturday morning.
N’Bliss is the first dispensary to open in the state and many others are expected to open their doors in the next weeks. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has licensed a total of 192 retail dispensaries, 24 in each of the state’s eight congressional districts.
N’Bliss had already opened earlier this year to sell CBD products and now anyone with a medical marijuana card can enter the dispensary.
“We all have someone that’s had challenges maybe with opioids or they’re looking for some alternatives and it’s finally here,” said N’Bliss CEO Bradford Goette.
According to a KMOV4 report, Larry Simpson was the first patient to purchase medical marijuana in the state.
“When I came home from the hospital initially after surgery, I had a whole list of things you don’t want to take,” Simpson said. “Morphine, OxyContin, this, that … I took none of that.”
“I would have never thought I would ever have any value for marijuana but it has changed my life,” he added.
According to Simpson, it is marijuana edibles that helped get him through his chemotherapy.
“I looked at him and he was helping me, we were refinishing some furniture, it was a beautiful day and the sun was shining,” said Larry’s wife. “He felt good and I thought, ‘who is this young, happy person going through this?’ It was just a tremendous difference.”
The Missouri state health department limits the amount of medical marijuana that can be purchased to 4 oz for a 30-day supply. N’Bliss is limiting patients to 1 oz as of right now.
The dispensary works with Perryville based Archimedes as its supplier.
“To finally be here at this point, it’s really an honor because we know how much it means to so many people who have been waiting and fighting for this for years,” said Erin Moore, Archimedes’ Chief Scientific Officer.
