Oxford's first medical marijuana dispensary opens

Feb. 10—Consume Oxford officially opened the doors of its first-ever medicinal marijuana location on Thursday.

Located at 3620 Southpointe Parkway, a ribbon-cutting ceremony presented by representatives of the Oxford Chamber of Commerce welcomed the staff of the new local business. Oxford Chamber of Commerce board member Kevin McKeehan said the dispensary was "exciting to have" in Oxford.

Consume Oxford operates under the Consume brand, which currently manages 13 locations across Arizona, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.

Jake Coward, a retail operations worker with Consume's parent company, Patient Treatment Services Grows, said he was happy to be able to help with a service that he feels will help customers in need.

"I think it's really important to understand that these programs were built for medical patients, a lot of the states that enacted programs for recreational started with programs that help patients access products safely," Coward said. "... Our tagline is we will guide you, and it's important to us to understand that our advisors, as well as our patients, know what products that they're going to be offered and consuming so that they can get relief."

Coward said that the dispensary offers a full range of products from several cultivators.

"You'll see the full suite of licensed products in the state of Ohio," Coward said. "We've taken in deliveries from the 12 most popular cultivator names that I'm sure most patients are familiar with."

Under Ohio law, medicinal marijuana can't be sold in a smokable form, instead, edibles, lotions, and oils will be available.

Several customers lined up at 10 a.m., including Hamilton resident Tony Wolters. Wolters said he understands those who might not be open to having a store so close to home but also said he encourages people to look more closely into it.

"I tell people to do research, look more in-depth into it, and then make your decision after that," Wolters said. "Just don't judge based off of what you see."

Oxford plans to open a second medicinal marijuana dispensary named Inspire Cannabis at 5280 College Corner Pike later this year. Construction at the site has already begun.