Bloc Dispensary cuts the ribbon on St. George’s first medical marijuana pharmacy – St George News

ST. GEORGE – For the first time, St. George has its own medical cannabis dispensary. Bloc Dispensary held its grand opening on Saturday morning, offering locals a path for alternative treatment for the first time.

The pharmacy held a ribbon cutting ceremony and invited vendors and food trucks to the event. Patients poured in and bought their medicinal cannabis in St. George.

“Never in my 47 years would I have thought this would happen,” said Steve Stewart, a patient. “It still feels like a dream to me sometimes.”

Bloc Dispensary, a subsidiary of Justice Cannabis Co., offers a variety of product forms, from flowers to vapes, edibles and tinctures. The products are presented in glass classes in a well-lit white room that is inviting and destigmatizing the idea of ​​using marijuana as medicine.

Guests took tours of the facility, bought products if they had a medical marijuana card, and interacted with the staff.

It appears that the St. George Parish has welcomed the pharmacy equally. Dre Trobradovic, Justice Cannabis National Sales Directorsaid they received thousands of applications from potential employees.

“It was really exciting to meet and meet with these people because obviously I’m not from St. George and it was my first time in St. George so I really got a taste of the community and the people get what they are the applicants, “said Trobradovic. “Everyone seemed so supportive, so excited to be able to offer this in a community where not many people saw it necessarily coming.”

Trobradovic, two managers and a pharmacist gave short, impromptu speeches over a public address system in front of the store before the two managers cut the ribbon and solemnly ushered in a new era in St. George. Cedar City’s Bloom Medicals opened on June 1st, the same day as Bloc’s soft opening. They are the only two Utah pharmacy licenses in the Southern Utah region out of a total of 14.

It gives a prominent retirement community an opportunity to explore alternative medicine, which has generated a strong community response.

“I thought the response was really hesitant,” Cassie Parker, communications director, told St. George News. “But as a pharmacist here, I had a problem with customer service and had to call customer service. The lady who helped me on the phone … She explained that her husband was a retired police officer who had an opioid addiction crisis here in Utah. She let me know how excited she was that her husband could find a solution close to her. “

In Utah, medical marijuana cards are required to purchase from these pharmacies. Qualifications range from chronic pain to PTSD to cancer and others. A full list of qualifying conditions is available Here. As of February 2021, more than 23,000 people were qualified cardholders in the state.

For some people, turning to cannabis can be life changing.

“The quality of my life has increased tenfold,” said Stewart. “Just the sleep I get … I have chronic back pain. I’ve done physical work all my life, and as I get older, it becomes harder and harder to sleep. “

Trobradovic said that one of the pharmacy’s goals is to educate those who are curious about medical cannabis. She said that after a patient receives their medical card from a doctor, they will meet with a pharmacist to discuss product options and answer questions.

For more information on the pharmacy located at 1624 South Convention Center Drive, visit theirs website.

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