May 4—WHITE HALL — A Martinsburg, W.Va.-based company has opened Marion County's first medical cannabis dispensary.

NewLeaf Express had its "soft opening" Wednesday at its location adjacent to the ever-expanding Middletown Commons. They took space last November to begin the buildout in the professional building that is on the north side of Colasessano's Pizza on Middletown Circle at 161 Middletown Circle, Suite 2.

"We had a few new customers walk-in for the first time on Wednesday, which was really exciting," NewLeaf North Central Regional Manager Bill Naumoff said. "We posted info on social media and got something like 250 likes pretty quickly, so we're excited about being here."

The White Hall area location will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will have about seven employees, and will also share staffers with its location in Morgantown, the company's second location.

NewLeaf Owner Gregory Kennedy said he has purchased rights to open a total of five dispensaries in West Virginia.

"We're excited to expand to Marion County and look forward to helping folks who are in pain," Kennedy said.

Friday's grand opening will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and staff from Releaf Specialists will be on hand to assist patients with certifications from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be food provided by Colasessano's and a local food truck.

For more information on NewLeaf, call their new location at 304-460-0707 or go online at newleaf-us.com.