Centre County’s 3rd medical marijuana dispensary set to open Saturday. Here’s what you should know
Centre County’s newest medical marijuana dispensary is set to open its doors Saturday.
Verilife State College, owned by parent company PharmaCann, will open 9 a.m. Saturday at 1820 S. Atherton St., the former site of Home D Pizzeria. Verilife State College will become the third such dispensary in Centre County, joining Ayr Wellness and Curaleaf. (All three dispensaries are located on Atherton Street in the State College area.)
The new dispensary’s hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day of the week, according to the website. The online product menu was not available as of early Friday evening.
“State College is well known as the home of Penn State University and is a thriving community of more than 42,000 people,” Verilife President David Chiovetti said in a written statement. “We are thrilled that our new Verilife State College location will help us serve even more patients in this fast-growing region.”
News of Verilife’s local dispensary became public last July and, in December, it anticipated opening no later than March. Reasons for the delay were not made public but, while the dispensary is set to open Saturday, a spokesperson acknowledged Friday that some work remains left to be done.
Some interior renovation, such as shelving and displays, still needs to be completed. And spokesperson Sacha Cohen, who works for Maverick Public Relations, said increased capacity and a “new shopping model” would be unveiled in the near future. In a news release, Verilife characterized the renovations as “Phase 2,” signaling they would be completed later this summer.
Verilife operates in a half-dozen states and boasts eight dispensary locations in Pennsylvania, with the next-closest to Centre County currently in Williamsport. It offers a price-match guarantee on identical in-stock items from other state dispensaries.
Those looking to purchase medical marijuana in Pennsylvania — whether ointment, pills, vaporizers, flower (traditional), etc. — first need to register through the state’s Medical Marijuana Registry, and then have a physician certify they suffer from one of the qualifying medical conditions (e.g. anxiety, cancer, PTSD). Those approved must then pay $50 for a medical marijuana ID card, before being allowed entrance to a dispensary.
Gov. Tom Wolf signed the medical marijuana bill into law in 2016. By 2018, medical marijuana became available in the commonwealth. Based on data provided by the state in August, more than 630,000 patients and caregivers are currently registered in the commonwealth’s medical marijuana program.
For more information on Verilife State College, visit verilife.com/pa/location/state-college.
This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 5:47 PM.
