Philly’s first health-care backed medical marijuana dispensary set to open

The first Pennsylvania health-care affiliated marijuana dispensary will open in Center City this fall.

The dispensary will be affiliated with Solterra Care, whose parent company is MLH Explorations LLC. Inquirer.com reported that the company won a permit to partner with the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University.  

The permit is one of three given out by Pennsylvania, and it is known as a Clinical Research permit. It will let the company grow marijuana in Bucks County. MLH’s permit allows it to open five more dispensaries through the region. 

Inquirer.com reports that the facility will be located at 809 Locust St., and it will be approximately 4,400 square feet. According to reports, it will cost MLH at least $800,000 to upgrade the space. 

The storefront will be located close to the Thomas Jefferson University main campus, which is offering certificates in Cannabis Medicine, Cannabinoid Chemistry and Toxicology, and Cannabinoid Pharmacology. 

“The Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis & Hemp at Thomas Jefferson University is the nation’s only comprehensive academic resource for education, research, and practice pertaining to the potential use of cannabinoids as medical therapy,” according to Jefferson University’s website. 

The interest in marijuana in the medical field has grown extensively within such a short time, and it’s excepted to continue growing in the future. According to a study done by Leafly, the cannabis industry has created over 211,000 full-time jobs. This report also shared a state by state breakdown, and Pennsylvania alone has over 5,000 jobs supported by the cannabis industry.