Second medical marijuana dispensary will open soon in greater Lexington area
A second medical marijuana dispensary is planning to open its doors to patients in Central Kentucky this month.
Blue Sage dispensary, located at 172 Imperial Way in Nicholasville, is aiming to open the week of Monday, Jan. 26, with hours from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
That’s according to Boston Dickerson, director and CEO of Trilux KY Management, the company overseeing operations at Blue Sage and VS Kentucky Ops, a marijuana growing operation also in Nicholasville.
“I think the community is rallying around it, and they’re pretty excited for it,” Dickerson said during a preview tour with Herald-Leader journalists Monday.
With Blue Sage’s opening later this month, there will be at least two dispensaries in the greater Lexington area where qualified patients can legally purchase medicinal marijuana. Speakeasy Dispensary in Lexington’s Hamburg shopping district opens at 10 a.m Thursday.
As the commonwealth’s first medical marijuana dispensaries open, patients should expect high prices. Supply has been a major hurdle, with only a few cultivators — the businesses tasked with growing the marijuana — currently open.
On Thursday, Jan. 8, Gov. Andy Beshear announced his administration approved the opening of the state’s first medical marijuana processor, the businesses that turn harvested marijuana into products dispensaries can stock on their shelves.
Here’s what to expect when Blue Sage opens in Jessamine County later this month.
Pricing, product selection and purchase limits for KY cannabis
Speaking with the Herald-Leader Monday, Dickerson described Blue Sage’s launch later this month as a “soft opening.”
“I’m hopeful that we’ll keep a steady supply, and we won’t have to close,” Dickerson said.
If it does have to temporarily shutter, it wouldn’t be the first. The Post Dispensary in Ohio County near Owensboro briefly opened to patients in December. It was the first medical marijuana dispensary to do so in Kentucky, but sold through quickly and closed once more. Monday, The Post announced via its website it’s reopening Friday, Jan. 16 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, however.
Dickerson said he anticipates Blue Sage will have enough product to get through its first month as it waits for more supply to enter the market.
“We’re hopeful that we will have three to five different varieties of flower, and two to four varieties of gummies,” Dickerson said. “Those are going to be a range of sativa, indica and hybrid.”
However, patients should expect purchase limits at the Nicholasville store.
“I anticipate that we will have product limits of what one person can purchase at the start,” Dickerson confirmed, adding those will be based on how much supply it has in stock when it opens.
Asked what prices patients should expect, Dickerson said a pre-packaged eighth of an ounce could cost “anywhere from $50 to $60.” A 10% discount will be given to seniors.
What the shopping experience at Blue Sage will look like
Similar to other dispensaries across the state, Kentucky medical cannabis patients will need to bring along a valid ID and their state-issued cannabis card. Those documents are needed to clear the check-in process before entering the sales floor.
Patients will also be given an information pamphlet from the state about using medical cannabis safely, and they will need to sign to verify they’ve received the pamphlet.
After completing some paperwork, patients are admitted to Blue Sage’s sales floor, which has the feel of a pharmacy or clinic.
There are eight points of sale for processing purchases, each staffed with “patient care advocates” who take orders. All products are pre-packaged and stored in a secure vault to be brought out for patients on demand.
The store will initially employ about 10 people, with room to grow to 15 or 20. Training for Blue Sage employees begins next week, Dickerson said.
“We’d like it to feel not sterile or scary in here, but like you’re coming into a clean environment where you can purchase medicine,” Dickerson said.
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