By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
BUCHANAN – Southwest Michigan’s first medical marijuana dispensary is opening this week in downtown Buchanan and it should be successful if last Saturday’s public open house is any indication. Dozens lined up outside the East Front Street business to catch a glimpse of the inside.
While the issue of allowing either medical or recreational marijuana facilities in area communities has been a controversial one over the last several months and years, none of that was evident at the May 18 open house. People came to see what the business looked like and find out more about the company and its services.
The Zen Leaf Provisioning Center opened its doors at 259 E. Front St. to the public last Saturday for an open house and will have its grand opening on Friday, May 24. That’s when it can officially start selling medical marijuana products to those with state issued medical marijuana cards and will only be open to them.
City officials on hand last Saturday included Mayor Patricia Moore, City
Commissioners Sean Dennison and Dale Toerme and Zoning Administrator Debra Patzer. In addition, Buchanan Area Chamber of Commerce Director Carol Carroll, Chamber President Jerry Flenar and other members took part in the ribbon cutting and open house.
Moore acknowledged Saturday that she had initially been skeptical about welcoming medical marijuana facilities to the city. She cast the lone no vote on the city commission when they voted to allow retail, grow and processing medical marijuana facilities in the city.
“I was the only no vote, my concerns were about security and regulations from the state,” Moore said. “I’ve been totally calmed about the concerns I have. I also see little opportunity for anything nefarious to happen with it being downtown. Everything will be behind closed doors and secure.”
“It’s a very exciting time in the city and this company has been wonderful to work with,” she added. “We look forward to working with them and making sure patients get what they need. We heard from people who said they had to drive over 100 miles to get medical marijuana. Zen Leaf is very patient oriented and have been visible in the community.”
Moore acknowledged the public response at Saturday’s open house. “Obviously you can see from the big line up that people are excited to see the business opening,” she said. “That this is the first one in the area and the only one in a 65 mile radius to open speaks to their professionalism and experience.”
Moore said that while city officials have taken the concerns of naysayers to heart, they’ve also listened to those who have wanted to see Buchanan welcome both medical and recreational marijuana. The city is still in the process of developing ordinances to govern the latter.
“There were many people concerned but at least an equal number wanting it,” she said. “I think it will be a big boon to the downtown and really add to the number of visitors we can bring in. We have lots to offer in the city and this shows we are a forward thinking, progressive city. We enjoy a rich history but we also embrace the future.”
Zen Leaf co-founder Sammy Dorf and Zen Leaf co-owner and Buchanan General Manager Billy Breen of Zen Leaf said they are happy to be in Buchanan. The Buchanan shop is expected to employ 10 to 12 people full-time when it is fully operational. People can learn more about the company at https://zenleafdispensaries.com/locations/.
Dorf noted that the Chicago-based company has numerous “top notch” facilities throughout the United States and they’re proud of opening their first location in Michigan in Buchanan. He said no decision has been made on whether to get into recreational marijuana if that opportunity arises.
“Buchanan is centrally located for us and the local leaders have been good to work with,” Dorf said. “We believe the shop will be successful in Buchanan. Today, we sponsored a cancer race and tournament here in Buchanan and we have a booth at the farmer’s market.”
He said the Buchanan shop will feature a wide variety of medical marijuana products including edibles, flowers, extracts, balms and vapes. He believes the past stigmas associated with marijuana no longer exist. “I think those days are behind us,” he said. “People are aware of the benefits of medical marijuana and we’re here to educate them if they’re not.”
Dorf said medical marijuana is a passion for him. “I was an attorney before and I saw a disproportionate number of youth and minorities arrested on marijuana charges. I also saw what my parents went through when they had cancer and found relief with medical cannabis.”
“We’re beyond happy with the turnout today,” Breen said. “I’m honestly shocked, it’s awesome. We will have our grand opening for patients on the 24th, today is a chance for others to come in and gather to information.”
He said he understands the concerns of those who are skeptical and wants to reassure them. “I completely understand their concerns, we’re new and it’s foreign to many people,” he said. “We’re not a fly by night provider. We want to be the best partner we can be to other merchants, City Hall and the community.”
Breen said he knows firsthand the value of medical marijuana. “I have Crohn’s like symptoms and G.I. tract problems,” he said. “I use it strictly for pain relief and to control nausea.”
Berrien Center resident and cannabis activist Rick Anstiss was one of those attending Saturday’s open house. “This is wonderful, I’m super excited for the city of Buchanan and for Berrien County to start taking it on,” he said. “We’ve had strong pushback from the prosecutor and the sheriff being against it.”
He is a medical marijuana caregiver and also takes it himself for pain relief. He has a podcast on WIRX radio that gives insights into the cannabis and hemp industries and the benefits they can provide. Medical marijuana has been approved to treat a number of conditions ranging from autism, arthritis and colitis to cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
City Manager William Marx did not attend Saturday’s open house but speak to the Berrien County Record about what the medical marijuana facilities mean to Buchanan. “Each of the approved segments of the medical marijuana supply chain we have in the city offers strong opportunity for further development within the city,” he said.
He noted that projections show that the growing operations the city has approved will have nearly $25 million in building and property investments in the city by the end of the year. He said several thousand plans are now growing at facilities in the city and there are projections of over 200 new jobs in the community by the start of 2020.
He agreed with Moore that the downtown dispensaries will create much needed foot traffic. “The fact that we now have the only state licensed facility in 65 miles will cause people to take a trip here to stop at the dispensary and then we hope buy gas here and take in a meal,” he said. “This increase in downtown commerce is important and needed.”
Buchanan has approved five class C growers, one class B grower, three processors and five provisioning centers or dispensaries. Three of the provisioning centers are in the downtown and another two in the uptown area.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.