LEICESTER, Mass. — Worcester County's first medical marijuana dispensary is officially open for business.
Cultivate in Leicester opened on Friday and is already seeing upwards of 40 customers a day.
Operators describe the dispensary as a farm to table operation. It all starts in the cultivation room where the plants are grown from seeds. Once it's harvested and processed, it's sold right up front.
"It's a good feeling knowing when you are in our dispensary, the back wall is the wall of the grow room," said President Sam Barber.
Not only are they filling their patients needs, they're also working with the local Leicester community to foster relationships and create jobs.
"Right off the bat we've created 20 jobs in this town and plan on bringing in 30 more in the next few months," said Barber.
Like the patients, the staff come from all walks of life. Dispensary Manager Suzanne Melanson is a former second-grade teacher. She turned to medical marijuana for fibromyalgia and now works to help patients figure out what strains may help based on their ailments.
"We are trying to guide and help them advocate for themselves. We offer a journal for everybody where they can keep track of what works and what doesn't," said Melanson.
As for recreational marijuana? That's part of the plan for next year.
"For us to stay competitive and stay in business, we'll also look into that market"
But for now, they're focusing solely on their patients and plan to add quite a bit over the next few months, starting with a delivery service.