The opening of a medical marijuana dispensary in downtown Bradford is being delayed –– again.
“We are hopeful for late May pending state inspection/approval. Not much more to report than that,” Dr. Glen Mesaros told The Era on Wednesday. He is the chief medical officer of DuBois Wellness Center LLC.
The pharmacy, to be at the former Mexican restaurant at 109 Main St., will be just under 2,000 square feet. Initially, there will be seven to 10 employees.
Mesaros said previously the property would be gutted to “create a welcoming, state-of-the-art medical facility that meets the requirements of the state and will exceed the expectations of our patients.”
The local facility’s timeline at one point included receiving a certificate of occupancy Jan. 18; passing inspections required to begin operations, Jan. 20; and starting operations, Jan. 25, according to the center’s state-approved application. Then Mesaros said the pharmacy would be ready to open by the end of March.
In any case, several conditions would be allowed to be treated with medical marijuana in Pennsylvania, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, autism, cancer, Crohn’s disease, damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Huntington’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, intractable seizures, multiple sclerosis, neuropathies, Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, sickle cell anemia or severe chronic or intractable pain of neuropathic origin or severe chronic or intractable pain in which conventional therapeutic intervention and opiate therapy is rejected or ineffective.
There is only one area doctor prescribing medical marijuana: Dr. Donald Rudick at 761 Johnsonburg Road, St. Marys. Meanwhile, other prescribers in nearby counties include Dr. Kevin Mullins of 100 Hospital Ave., DuBois and Dr. Scott Camazine at 112 West Main St., Lock Haven.
Thus far, several dispensaries have opened, including 2105 N. Atherton St., State College; 201 Pillow St., Butler; and 5600 Forward Ave., Pittsburgh.
The Medical Marijuana Program became effective May 17, 2016, and is expected to be fully implemented this year.
For more information on the program, see https://www.pa.gov/guides/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana-program/
