NORFOLK, Va. — A new marijuana dispensary is coming to downtown Norfolk, with doors opening on the unofficial pot holiday.
'Cannabist Norfolk' is Columbia Care's ninth of 12 planned dispensaries in Virginia. Cannabist Norfolk offers a variety of Columbia Care products including edibles, lotions, and tinctures.
All of these products will be available to people who are 21 years or older, and have a licensed medical marijuana card verified through Virginia.
"Folks need relief and quite frankly if you come to any of our stores and watch the parking lot you will see Virginians come from all walks of life," said Ngiste Abebe, VP of Public Policy for Columbia Care.
Cannabist Norfolk joins four other medical marijuana dispensaries to open its doors in Hampton Roads including Portsmouth, Hampton, Williamsburg and Virginia Beach.
Abebe said they plan to add a sixth dispensary in the future to make sure their patients do not have to travel to get their medications.
"We're reporting just over 55,000 patients in the entire state and we know that patient participation is growing as folks come to know and understand that there is a medical cannabis program," said Abebe.
Thousands of people are expected to visit Cannabist Norfolk and the other locations. Abebe said their products will offer different dosages and formats for all of their patients.
"Someone who is going through chemotherapy cannot inhale a product, so we will be keeping our patients a top priority," said Abebe.
The store's regular hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More information can be found on their website.