Supergood, a cannabis retailer in Michigan, held an open house last month for its new medical marijuana dispensary in Ravenna, attended by the mayor and other city officials.
Ravenna Mayor Frank Seman, Ravenna City Council Member Christina West, Main Street Ravenna Executive Director Arasin Hughes and others attended the Feb. 9 open house at 554 N. Chestnut St.
Of course, there were plenty of munchies for all.
The new dispensary, which was expected to finish construction at the end of February, will serve Ohio residents who qualify for a medical marijuana card.
Supergood first opened its doors in a small town south of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and has experience with rural areas such as Ravenna, the company said.
“We’re small-town people,” Supergood CEO Jim Haas said. “So as we kinda looked at the markets, being more rural, small- to mid-town sizes like Kalamazoo are more our style. So we know the clientele, we know how the stores operate. And so Ravenna is a good-sized town, underserved from the dispensary viewpoint.”
Supergood representatives applied for 15 licenses through the zoning department and eventually chose the North Chestnut Street location.
“I’ve been following the process along,” West said. “I went to all the planning commission meetings. I wanted to see what it was going to look like and answer questions for residents. I think they’re doing a fantastic job. The safety and security is absolutely here. I think it’s fabulous. They’re following all state laws and regulations, so they’re doing what they need to do.”
As required by law to store the cannabis, Supergood dispensary has installed a large vault with rebar-reinforced walls that are 8 inches thick, plus a DEA Level 5 vault door. The building and the vault have separate alarm systems.
Because Ohio regulations do not allow the combustion of medical marijuana, Supergood will only sell cannabis edibles, cannabis flower for vaporizing and paraphernalia.
Main Street Ravenna is a nonprofit tasked with revitalizing the downtown area. As executive director, Hughes hopes the new dispensary will have a positive impact on the city.
“I think it’ll be an asset to our community as it is bringing new vibrance and new opportunity,” she said. “We may see patrons who come and utilize this facility to pick up their prescriptions, to come to the downtown to utilize … our restaurants and retail. Hopefully, they flow through and see what we have to offer in our downtown.”
For anyone interested in inquiring about applying for a medical marijuana card in the state of Ohio, visit https://www.ohiomedicalmarijuanaregistry.com. Online appointments are available.