Area residents and officials had a chance Monday to see inside the Rise Hermitage medical marijuana dispensary before it opens.
The open house event was the only time anyone other than employees and card-carrying medical marijuana patients will get inside of Rise Hermitage, 2880 E. State St. When the dispensary opens for business Thursday, clients will have to scan their medical marijuana cards to get through the front door, said Timothy Hawkins, president of Green Thumb Industries Pennsylvania.
Hermitage is the second dispensary opening in Pennsylvania under GTI’s “Rise” brand, following the Rise Erie dispensary in Erie.
“Whenever we open a location, we like to invite the public in to not just see the building but to educate themselves on what we do and what medical marijuana is,” Hawkins said.
Rise’s security measures will include more than 60 interior and exterior cameras, with exterior lighting at night. Staff use a buzzer system to admit patients into the building, where they enter a waiting room. Hawkins said those patients can meet with a patient care specialist, speak with a pharmacist specifically trained in medical marijuana, or use an iPad to view Rise’s products.