It was on Tuesday that the very first medical marijuana dispensary opened its doors in Columbia, Missouri.
The dispensary, called 3Fifteen Primo Cannabis, is located at 4003 Ponderosa St.
3Fifteen Primo had a soft launch for friends and family this past Saturday and its grand opening had been planned for Tuesday through Thursday.
According to Jason Corrado, the CEO of 3Fifteen Primo, the soft opening over the weekend enabled employees to work out some kinks.
“We’re making sure that we’re using our point-of-sale system correctly and that it’s reporting correctly,” Corrado said. “The statewide track-and-trace system is very robust.”
Corrado said the business will serve card-carrying medical marijuana patients in the city before anyone else.
“It’s very important that we give them an experience that they like,” he explained.
Corrado said that any physician in good standing in Missouri can prescribe medical marijuana to treat a number of conditions.
In order to receive a card authorizing purchase of cannabis products, a patient must apply through a portal on the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services website.
As of Nov. 20, at least 87,800 people have applied and more than 5,000 licenses have been distributed to patients in Boone County.
It was in 2018 that two-thirds of Missourians voted to legalize medical marijuana. Marijuana is still illegal at the federal level.
