Herban Legends plants its seed in Towson; Dispensary to serve medical marijuana card holders

By Mary-Ellen Davis, News Editor

Photo by Brendan Felch/ The Towerlight

For those with a medicinal marijuana card in Towson, finding a dispensary just got a little easier. Herban Legends, Towson’s new dispensary, opened its doors for business over the summer.

Charles Fink, a proprietor of the dispensary, discussed several reasons why Towson was the place for Herban Legends to plant its roots.

“It becomes a business decision,” Fink said. “As well as where it’s going to be the highest concentration of potential patients as well. We’re around the hospitals, there’s elderly communities in the area as well, and even with the university there’s kind of a big thing and we have a lot of students that have anxiety, even from a sports related standpoint. [Students experience] pain after the game.”

Located on Chesapeake Avenue, Herban Legends currently sells 24 different strains of flower to those who are registered with the state to receive medical marijuana and, according to Fink the different cannabis strains can help with any number of illnesses and stressors, including things like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

“PTSD is big, chronic pain, anxiety,” Fink said. “We have cancer patients that come out and that’s either for pain, to suppress your appetite, enhance your appetite if you’re not eating. There’s a huge list which is really going to be beneficial for the patients in Maryland.”

In order to get a medical card, one would have to get a referral from a registered doctor and then register with the state. Once approved, the patient would receive a 16-digit identification number that could be used to gain access to the dispensary. Patients must be 18 years of age to receive a medical card. If they are underage, patients are required to have caregivers, who must also register with the state.

“At that point you’re entered into the state database,” Fink said. “At that point you can come with your ID, passport, any sort of government issued ID, [like] a military ID.”

Once admitted into the dispensary, patients will be welcomed by Herban Legends’ sales associates who will help patients determine which strain is best for them.

“The patients are very engaging,” Fink said. “They’re eager to learn, so it’s exciting for them, it’s exciting for our sales team and our management team, because there’s no hostility.”

Employee Shane Mayberry, 28, said that, for him, the dispensary provides an opportunity to educate community members on the product.

“So much of this has been kept in the closet and made more dangerous than it needs to be,” Mayberry said. “[It’s] unregulated and there are so many bad products out there, so to have good quality products and easy access, and it gets cheaper every year, it’s just amazing.”

Fink mentioned that the current prices at Herban Legends run between $35 and $60 for an eighth of an ounce, depending on the strain.

The dispensary, according to Fink, hopes to have a good relationship with Towson University and plans to run programs for university students including a certification buyback credit to the patients accounts, and student and university employee discounts.

“We are eager to educate Towson University students. Whether they begin their process at our dispensary or at our educational events that will provide registration assistance, upon certification, we will issue a buyback credit to their patient account,” Fink said.

Though Resident Assistant (RA) Makenzie Sisson sees no issue with having a dispensary in town, she is unsure of how the University will handle the situation.

“I’m personally alright with having a medical marijuana dispensary in the town,” Sisson said. “It’s decriminalized, and I’ve heard that it’s helped a lot of people with conditions that take their focus away from their academic and social life like anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. However, I am aware that Towson has a no smoking policy, and marijuana is still illegal on a federal level.”

 As an RA on campus, Sisson described how a new dispensary in town may impact her job to enforce Towson’s no smoking policy.

“The intricacies of this are something that a lot of RA’s are working through right now,” Sisson said. “Along with a lot of residents on campus. I am fine with having a medical marijuana dispensary in the town, but I don’t believe the campus will allow it, and as an RA, I have to respect and adhere to that policy.”

Fink expressed that he is eager to help educate students and the community on the topic of medicinal marijuana and hopes to create as much access to it as he can.

“We want to create a relaxed, friendly, and as knowledgeable environment as we can at the end of the day as we can,” Fink said. “We just want to help people.”

Leave a Reply

Close

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.