Portage County's first medical marijuana dispensary to open soon in Ravenna

Portage County's first medical marijuana dispensary is expected to open in about three weeks in Ravenna, owners of the Supergood store on North Chestnut Street said.

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Simple Ag gave city officials a sneak peek last week at the site at 554 N. Chestnut St., where construction is nearing completion. The store will be known as Supergood, a change from the name Good Haven presented to the city's Planning Commission last fall.

A second store in Portage County expects to open a few weeks later. Kent will see a dispensary called Bliss Ohio taking up residence in March at 331 E. Main St., the current site of a vape shop named Slightly Toasted.

Supergood store manager Kate Cunningham, who has worked in dispensaries in Summit County, said she saw several customers from Portage County in her previous roles.

"I think it will be convenient for everyone," she said of the Ravenna dispensary.

A neighboring house is expected to be demolished in the days ahead and will be replaced with a gravel parking area. The parking lot will be paved this spring, once asphalt plants are open.

Cunningham said not every dispensary has parking as convenient as Supergood will offer.

"I think the parking will set us apart from other dispensaries," she said. She added that some dispensaries have parking that is "not great," creating an inconvenience for customers who have disabilities.

Ravenna marijuana dispensary highlights safety features

Mayor Frank Seman, as well as three members of City Council, the city's service director and city engineer, attended the walk-through of the site. Company officials showed them various security measures, such as the "man traps" that will limit the number of people inside the store, and the vault, where most of the product would be stored. That vault, owners said, is made of concrete that is 8 inches thick on all sides.

CEO James Haas said the "man traps" are designed so that a door must close behind a person before they can open a door to the store. The specialized doors are also at the store exit and at the loading area. There is a limit of two customers in the store for every "bud tender" on duty.

Cunningham said a front consultation room allows customers to discuss their conditions and what products might be best for them.

Although there are glass display cases set up in the showroom floor, Haas said they will contain empty packaging rather than actual products.

The products, he said, will be dispensed through a window, and given to the customer in a sealed package that cannot be opened until the customer is home.

The products will be sourced locally, from Wellspring Fields in Ravenna Township.

A total of 39 cameras are set up inside and outside the store to monitor activity of customers, who will be told the rules. Infractions, such as opening the package to consume the product in the parking lot, will result in a ban from the store.

A dozen full and part-time employees have been trained on things like security, signs of abuse and the duty to report. All transactions are entered in a statewide database, and customers are limited to a 45-day supply. And because those transactions are entered in the database, they cannot get a 45-day supply at one store, and restock a day or two later at another location, Chief Operating Officer Kevin Zuber said.

Cunningham said it's not uncommon for some customers to stock up if they live far away or have a hard time getting out. But staff members are trained to watch for signs that the customer is buying extra product to share with friends, and doing so also results in a ban.

The store staff, Cunningham said, will volunteer in the community, and has already arranged to pack food for "Raven Packs," a charity that provides food to Ravenna school children during long breaks from school.

Meanwhile, work continues on the Kent dispensary, which also is expected by open by the end of next month.

Pamela and Dwyane Siekman of Next Level Operators hold the permit for the dispensary in Kent.

In an email, Pamela Siekman wrote: " Unfortunately we don’t have a firm opening date yet, as it will depend upon state issuance of our certificate of operation. That said, we are targeting March 30 for opening to patients. Prior to that, we’ll host an open house for all."

The Siekmans will address the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce March 9 at the the chamber's monthly networking luncheon, which will take place at 11:30 a.m. at Water Street Tavern, 132 S. Water St., Kent.

Reporter Derek Kreider contributed to this story. Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Portage's first medical marijuana dispensary to open in Ravenna