Medical marijuana, an unstoppable trend.
CURALEAF: Sales from Plattsburgh facility increased 27 percent in the second quarter of 2018
PLATTSBURGH — Due to an increase in demand for medical marijuana in Plattsburgh, Curaleaf New York has made a lot of improvement to its Plattsburgh branch and multiplied hours of operation.
The renovations at 345 Cornelia St., was explicitly done to bring the feeling of a community wellness center, create extra open space and a new storefront, sign and wall of windows.
According to Mike Conway who is the Director of Dispensary Operations, “it is essential for patients to visit a safe, secure and open environment.”
He said the new external signage and storefront made of glass would give the community the opportunity to see through the facility, which will hopefully attract more prospective patients who are looking for data on how medical cannabis could be useful in their lives.
Conway said these improvements have always been the priority of Curaleaf.
He also said that due to the company’s love for patients, they did not want to shut down for an extended period since it will disrupt the ability of patients to access medical marijuana – Patients with ongoing therapies.
“The renovations were carried out during extra hours which were not part of the company’s operating hours,” Conway added.
Qualifying Conditions
Curaleaf is part of the New York City-based company PalliaTech NY LLC.
According to a press release, the dispensary grants accessibility to top class, medical-grade marijuana for patients.
The company has already made its name in Plattsburgh although it started operations for only a couple of months.
In 2016, Columbia Care launched the 4,000-square-foot dispensary.
In March 2018, Curaleaf merged with Columbia Care which gave them access to Columbia Care’s patients who live in Clinton, Essex, and Franklin counties.
It’s the only medical-cannabis dispensary in Clinton County.
They provide products like medical marijuana in the form of flavored vaporizer pens, tinctures, and capsules.
To qualify for medical marijuana in New York, you must be certified by a registered medical Marijuana Program practitioner from the State Department of Health.
The work of the practitioner is to inspect patients and verify whether they are eligible for the Medical Marijuana Program.
To qualify for this program, you should be suffering from conditions like cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, epilepsy and chronic pain.
Conway said the company is proud to serve the patients in the North Country.
Sales Increasing
According to the numbers, medical marijuana has become more recognized than ever.
Medical marijuana dispensary sales has increased by 27.3 percent in a single quarter.
Furthermore, the overall sales of this year amounted to $251,690.
According to the state’s Compassionate Care Act, the tax for medical marijuana is 7 percent, with 22.5 percent of the charge given back to the county of origin and 22.5 percent of the fee returned to the province of sales.
The owner of Clinton County’s dispensary, Columbia Care, declared sales of $110,755 for the first quarter of 2018.
Curaleaf saw a $30,181 increase in sales in the second quarter of the year.
In 2017, the county had about $4,006 from medical marijuana sales; in contrast, the first six months of 2018 amounted to $3,964 on total sales of $251,690.
Expanded Hours
Curaleaf used to open only three times in one week. However, they now have increased to 46 hours per week, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.
Conway said the company realized the limited hours made it difficult for patients, particularly those patients that come from distant areas to get medical marijuana.
And new pharmacists and dispensary staff have been employed to work during extra hours.
Furthermore, three other pharmacists gained employment who will join New York State Pharmacist and Curaleaf Dispensary Manager Kirsten Bezio.
In a press release, Conway said Curaleaf focuses on providing top class services to patients which involves giving the preferable access to treatment in all their dispensaries across the state.
“Medical marijuana is responsible for emphatically changing the lives of many New Yorkers, and many more patients from North Country will welcome the Curaleaf’s newly transformed dispensary.”
