Johnson City Medical Marijuana Dispensary Opens

Southern Tier residents now may legally obtain cannabis-based medications at a facility in Broome County.

Vireo Health of New York opened its Johnson City dispensary Thursday morning. The office shares a building with a travel agency and a pizza restaurant at the intersection of Harry L Drive and Reynolds Road.

The dispensary is the third location being operated by Vireo Health. Offices in White Plains and Queens opened earlier this month.

New York State law allows some doctors to prescribe medical marijuana to patients with certain medical conditions.

Dr. Stephen Dahmer, the company's chief medical officer, said Vireo Health has been "pleasantly surprised" by the number of people who have visited the first two dispensaries.

During an interview on WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now program, Dahmer declined to provide statistics on how many patients actually have obtained medication from the company's New York offices.

Dahmer said Vireo has created an online patient scheduling program to enable people to set up appointments at the dispensaries.

For the time being, the Johnson City dispensary will be open one day a week. The current office hours are Wednesday from noon to 7 p.m.

Vireo Health is continuing to work with the state Department of Health to clear the way for the opening of its planned Albany-area dispensary.

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