HAMPTON — Cannabist Hampton, the first medical marijuana dispensary in the city, is open for business.
A line of customers wrapped around the building on Cunningham Drive for the grand opening Thursday morning.
“Opening this up is great,” said Poquoson resident Dale Wagner, one of the customers. “It’s a really nice store, with friendly staff. I think you’re better off buying marijuana from a professional establishment than you would be buying off of the street where you do not know what you’re gonna get.”
The Cannabist brand is owned by Columbia Care — one of the largest cultivators, manufacturers and retailers of cannabis products in the country. It sells a variety of medical marijuana products — including edibles, flower and vapes. The Hampton location is the fourth medical marijuana dispensary in the Hampton Roads area, with the other three in Williamsburg, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/HDV55FZOHFGQLAGATKHHUQS6EQ.JPG)
“We chose this specific location in Hampton because of the growing patient population and the accessibility for the communities on the Peninsula as we strive to serve all of Tidewater,” said Jesse Channon, Chief Growth Officer of Columbia Care, in a news release.
Cannabist Hampton occupies what was once an ABC store. Local resident Jennifer Saldana said she appreciated having a location in a “central area” like Hampton.
“I can…
