Montville The only state-licensed medical marijuana dispensary in the area is now serving more than 2,000 patients, has outgrown its rental space and plans to move into its own building in town.
Thames Valley Alternative Relief bought the site of a former Bank of America branch across Route 32 from the Uncasville Diner, and plans to build additions in the front and back of the building, according to Laurie Zrenda, who opened the dispensary with her niece, Meredith Elmer, in September 2014.
Zrenda said she plans to move into the new site by this coming spring.
The booming medical marijuana sales could be a result of a number of factors. Six new conditions were added to the state-approved list of diagnoses that qualify adults for medical marijuana in February, and another five conditions, including cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis and uncontrolled intractable seizure disorder, were added to the list in October.
Patients must be diagnosed with one of the state-approved conditions before they can apply for a card that gets them access to medical marijuana at one of the six dispensaries in Connecticut.
Zrenda said she also thinks doctors are becoming more comfortable with prescribing marijuana products in place of opioid painkillers.
"Doctors are starting to see results from people, so word of mouth has been working in our favor," Zrenda said. "It’s a lot safer … you can’t overdose on this stuff."
In March, Zrenda said Thames Valley served about 150 customers a day and saw a total of about 1,300 patients. Now she said the total customer base is up to about 2,300, a number that has climbed as the number of New London County residents with medical marijuana cards has grown from 910 in March to 1,596 as of this week.
More than 14,800 people statewide have a card, and the next closest dispensaries are in Branford and South Windsor.
Moving into the former bank building will give the dozen Thames Valley employees and their customers more elbow room, Zrenda said.
"We’re tripping over each other behind the counter," she said. "We’re busy."
The company also will offer drive-thru service for its patients at the new location, many of whom are wheelchair bound or have trouble walking.
The new building also will have its own parking lot, an upgrade from the small number of spaces that Thames Valley has been sharing in an Uncasville shopping center with a tanning salon, a restaurant and a dog groomer, and other businesses who complained in March of a parking shortage.
Zrenda said she has applied for a building permit from the town and plans to start construction "as soon as possible."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: A Growth Industry – Montville’s Marijuana Dispensary Expanding
Author: Martha Shanahan
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Photo Credit: Sean D. Elliot
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