Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Cannabist Celebrates Grand Opening of its Williamsburg Dispensary

Cannabist Grand Opening (WY Daily/Jillian Appel)

WILLIAMSBURG — Columbia Care Inc., one of the largest cultivators, manufacturers, and providers of cannabis products in the United States, celebrated the opening of its new Cannabist location in Williamsburg with a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, Dec. 7.

Columbia Care Inc.’s Cannabist brand aims to give patients greater access to medical cannabis products. Columbia Care was awarded a license in Virginia in 2018 and was officially licensed to sell in 2020.

It opened its first location in Portsmouth, followed by Virginia Beach and now Williamsburg, with a fourth location planned for Hampton next year.

Official Cannabist Ribbon Cutting (WY Daily/Jillian Appel)

Cannabist opened its Williamsburg location on Nov. 23, and since then has been preparing its staff to help patients better understand medical cannabis and what products will best fit their needs.

In accordance with Virginia law, all of the staff at Cannabist are licensed pharmacists or pharmacy technicians. Security outside of the building also ensures patients have all the necessary documentation needed to purchase from the dispensary. Additionally, all of the product is grown locally as it is illegal to carry cannabis across state lines.

(WY Daily/Jillian Appel)

“We have a cultivation facility in Portsmouth, a lot of our products here will come from that facility. But we also wholesale with the other three licensees in the Commonwealth of Virginia, so we have a wider variety of products to help patients find the relief they need,” Ngiste Abebe, Vice President of Public Policy for Columbia Care said.

The company notes all patients are given the opportunity to discuss their needs with a pharmacist when they come in, and if they already have an idea of what they want, then they can use the many touch screens around the dispensary to expedite the process.

“We’re really excited to be the first regulated cannabis dispensary in Williamsburg and to be a good neighbor and to show the community what a well-regulated cannabis industry can look like. We’re also just really excited to provide more relief to more patients across the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Abebe expressed.

(WY Daily/Jillian Appel)

Prior to the opening, patients were lined up around the block at the dispensary, and inside, employees were already filling a large number of pick-up orders.

Cannabist Williamsburg Holiday Display (WY Daily/Jillian Appel)

Cannabist Williamsburg is located at 409 Bypass Road and offers a variety of Columbia Care products, including Classix, Seed & Strain, and Hedy, the Company’s newest edibles brand.

More information about Cannabist and Columbia Care can be found on their official websites.

Related Articles

MORE FROM AUTHOR