Medical Marijuana Dispensary Opens In Strip District
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - When CY+ Medical Marijuana Dispensary in the Strip District opened its doors to the public Tuesday, patients were already lined down the block to be the first ones inside.
Since one of the things marijuana can treat is pain, people are hoping it will help in the fight against opioid addition.
"I'm actually on Methadone coming off of the opioid epidemic, and I'm already down, like, 20 percent off of it," said John Gahagan, medical marijuana customer. "It is helping tremendously."
This facility is the third dispensary opened in Pittsburgh since medical marijuana became legal in Pennsylvania. The goal is to provide registered patients with appropriate products, educate the community and to get rid of the stigma of the drug.
"One thing people don't understand is this is probably one of the safest elements on earth known to man. You physically cannot kill yourself with this," Trent Hartley, co-founder of Cresco Yeltrah, said. "You can even die from drinking too much water."
The dispensary on Penn Avenue will carry one of the largest selections of medical marijuana in the state for patients with one of 17 state qualifying conditions. Local business owners are welcoming CY+ and think it is a great addition to the community.
"I like what these guys are doing," said Luke Wholey, owner of Wild Alaskan Grille. "I like that it's an alternative medicine for people that are in pain and it can really help a lot of people and I couldn't be more excited."
In Pennsylvania, there are 27,000 people registered for medical marijuana and at least 13,000 more are waiting for their approvals.