FL: Surterra Opens Pensacola Medical Marijuana Dispensary

Ron Strider

Well-Known Member
Pensacola's second medical cannabis dispensary will have its grand opening this week.

At 10:30 a.m. Monday, Surterra Wellness will celebrate the opening of its new Pensacola Wellness Center, located at 5046 Bayou Blvd., according to a news release from the company. The business offers various lines of medical cannabis products that include vaporizer pens, oral sprays, tincture oils and lotions.

The wellness center will be Surterra's third in Florida, and Surterra President Wesley Reynolds said his team was proud and excited to serve Northwest Florida residents.

"A lot of people have a lot of questions, and we want to create a comfortable environment where people know they are getting reliable and professional support," Reynolds said.

The grand opening will feature U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, representatives from Surterra and local patients who have been invited to discuss their experiences with medical cannabis.

Gaetz has been a strong advocate for medical marijuana reform, and he supports a house bill that would change marijuana from a Schedule I drug, on par with heroin and LSD, to a Schedule III drug, on par with anabolic steroids.

"This drug should not be in the same category as heroin and LSD, and we do not need to continue with a policy that turns thousands of young people into felons every year," Gaetz said in a written statement. "Nor do we need to punish the millions of people who are sick and seeking medical help — from pain, from muscle wasting, from chemotherapy-induced nausea."

While medical marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, Floridians voted to make the treatment option available to individuals with certain qualifying medical conditions ranging from cancer, to epilepsy, to post-traumatic stress disorder, to glaucoma.

A physician is required to undergo specialized training in order to prescribe marijuana. According to a Dec. 1 list by the Florida Department of Health, there are currently 11 physicians in Escambia County and seven in Santa Rosa County who have undergone the necessary training.

Reynolds said once patients receive their prescription and enroll in a Florida's medical marijuana use registry, Surterra's staff of wellness coordinators would be available to help clients understand what products are available and their benefits.

"It feels more like a living room or a kitchen, where you're hanging out with friends and talking about your wellness," Reynolds said of the new, locally-staffed dispensary.

The organization also provides home deliveries in the local area.

Pensacola's first medical marijuana dispensary was opened by Trulieve earlier this year. Although such businesses are slowly spreading across the state, access to medical marijuana has been an issue as Florida officials have faced delays, lawsuits and uncertainty in regulating the burgeoning industry.

Recently, a Pensacola man joined a lawsuit against several state officials who missed a legislative deadline to license 10 new dispensaries.

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Full Article: Surterra opens Pensacola medical marijuana dispensary
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