HAMPTON, Va. – A Hampton-based startup company is hoping to open a medical marijuana dispensary to bring capsules, creams and oils to patients and jobs to the community. The total investment would be $8 million and could bring up to 300 jobs to the community, reported WTKR.
Rx Native Pharmaceuticals is a Hampton-based company and CEO Chantra Stevenson said they are hoping to get the approval to be the dispensary in District 5, which stretches beyond Williamsburg all the way to Virginia Beach. Members of Hampton City Council mentioned the city’s central location for the district and how it would benefit citizens in the area in a June 13 meeting.
The Board of Pharmacy currently has 51 applicants hoping to become medical marijuana dispensaries. The board is hoping to make decisions on which applicants will be approved in the fall since they got more applicants than originally expected. A meeting originally scheduled for July 31 to discuss dispensaries was canceled and is being rescheduled. Stevenson said she believes there are about 15 vying for the District 5 spot.
A medical marijuana dispensary is a facility where marijuana plants are grown to produce cannabidiol or THC-A oil. Stevenson hopes to grow more than 5,000 marijuana plants in a greenhouse, have a laboratory and retail store-front where patients can come in and get what they need. She added Virginia laws require dispensaries to be in complete control of the product from start to finish or “seed to oil”.
