SCRANTON — The hometown medical marijuana processor has homegrown products for sale at its Green Goods dispensary in the city’s West Side.
The dry leaf, oils and other forms of medical marijuana, all approved by the state, are produced a few miles away in the Green Ridge section of the city.
“This is our first dispensary in Scranton,” said Vireo’s Director of Medical Education Dr. Paloma Lehfeldt. She was in town for the ribbon cutting of the dispensary at 1146 S. Main Ave.
Green Goods and the grower/processor, Pennsylvania Medical Solutions LLC, fit under the corporate umbrella of Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Vireo Health International Inc. Green Goods is the company’s retail dispensary brand and it also has another location in Bethlehem.
The Scranton dispensary held a soft opening last month and has been seeing people who have a state issued medical marijuana ID card.
The state regulates and controls the medical marijuana program that Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law in April 2016. Residents with serious medical conditions that have been certified by doctors and their caregivers are eligible to participate in the program for medical marijuana. They must register for a card that can be used at dispensaries. Insurance does not cover medical marijuana, however, and patients must pay out of pocket.
“The prices are competitive,” Lehfeldt said of how Green Goods compares to other dispensaries. It also sells products from other companies whose representatives attended the event.
Gerald Feissner, co-founder of grower/processor Standard Farms in White Haven, has been involved with the program before it became law. Across the state there are a total of 12 grower/processors and 70 dispensaries, he said.
“It’s pretty incredible to see that growth,” Feissner said. “We’re recognized as one of the top medical marijuana markets in the country.”
There is competition, but the companies all have the same goal of expanding the industry to serve patients.
“I think everybody’s in it for that reason,” Feissner said.