Trulieve is expanding their footprint in the state of Florida. On August 18, Trulieve opened their second medical cannabis dispensary in Florida at 24761 US Highway 19 North #630 in Clearwater. The organization just recently opened a dispensary in Tampa at 8701 North Dale Mabry Highway. Soon, Trulieve will add a third dispensary in the Tampa Bay area at 8435 4th Street North.

The dispensary provides low THC and high THC medical cannabis to those listed on the Florida Department of Health’s Compassionate Use Registry. Patients must be registered after visiting with a physician and are eligible if they suffer from epilepsy, severe seizures or muscle spasms, cancer, or are deemed terminally ill. Their first location opened in Tallahassee back in 2016 at 800 Capital Circle Southeast.

“As the first licensee to not only receive authorization to dispense but to open our doors, and make the first sale of any kind, it is also exciting to open our second dispensary so quickly,” said Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers in a release. “We are also delivering statewide and plan to have several more locations come online this year.”

Three more Florida locations are in the works

Trulieve plans to open locations in Bradenton, Miami and Orlando in 2017. In 2014, there was a strong push in the Tampa Bay community to approve full legalization of medical marijuana in the state. The Cannabis Career Institute held several seminars in Tampa and St. Pete to help educate entrepreneurs on the rules and regulations in the medical dispensary business.

Florida, the third most populous state in the US, could serve as a huge source of revenue for those looking to create/produce medical cannabis in innovative ways.

Michael Aulsen of the Miami Herald reports that “there will be as much as $4.3 billion in retail sales of the drug this year. And that could double by 2019 if states like Florida and Ohio legalize medical marijuana.”

On June 23, Governor Scott Governor Rick Scott signed SB8A, the implementation bill for Amendment 2 into law.

71% of Florida voters voted in favor of Amendment 2 in 2016

In March of 2016, Governor Rick Scott signed HB307, which slightly expanded the accessibility of the medicine to Florida residents. On election day, Florida residents overwhelmingly voted to approve the legalization of medical marijuana — 71% voted in favor of Amendment 2.

The Amendment allows doctors to prescribe cannabis for debilitating medical conditions, which includes cancer, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, hepatitis C, HIV, AIDS, ALS, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease or any other condition your physician believes the medical use of marijuana outweighs the potential health risk for the patient.

You can learn more about their business, and follow the progress on their new locations on their website and Facebook page.