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Legally Rooted Cannabis Dispensary opened on Jan. 27, 2023 as the first medical marijuana dispensary in Meridian and one of the first dispensaries to open statewide. The dispensary opened just as the first crop of medicinal-grade marijuana and products became ready to sell.
Looking back on the past year, co-owner Ashley Toney said the changes in both the industry and the patients has been astounding.
“I’m really just kind of speechless because everything, it took off so fast,” she said.
As the dispensary opened, the Mississippi Department of Health, which is tasked with issuing medical marijuana licenses for patients, prescribers, cultivation facilities, processing facilities and facilities for testing, waste disposal and transportation, was overwhelmed with applications. At one point, MSDH had more than 900 applications for patients alone.
Toney said the backlog created long wait times for patients to get approved for a medical marijuana card after completing their application. The wait time at the beginning, she said, was roughly 30 days.
MSDH has since beefed up staffing and cleared its backlog, and most patients receive an answer within a few days, Toney