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Medical cannabis dispensary opens in Mt. Vernon

Posted at 6:31 PM, Jun 22, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-22 18:31:50-04

A new medical marijuana dispensary opened in Baltimore Friday.

ReLeaf is the first dispensary to open in the Mount Vernon area.

It's one of 50 dispensaries licensed in Maryland, which is about half of what is allowed by the state's Medical Cannabis Commission.

One of the co-founders, Andrew Whelton, is also an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University. He believes medical marijuana is a much safer pain management alternative to opioids.

"In the states in which medical cannabis has been approved, we have seen an unexpected benefit that at the end of 12 months following approval, a remarkable decrease in deaths from opioid overdose," Whelton said.

Baltimore City Council President Jack Young, Councilman Eric Costello, and State Senator Nathaniel McFadden attended the shop's ribbon cutting ceremony.