'March and Ash' medicinal marijuana dispensary coming to Imperial

IMPERIAL — March and Ash, a San Diego medical dispensary, has been selected as the only business licensed to operate a medical cannabis dispensary in the city of Imperial and plans to open in late May or early June. The dispensary will be located on Marshall Ave in Imperial, south of the fairgrounds, and will only operate for medicinal purposes only from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., according to state regulations.

March and Ash’s brand name is an expression of ethos; the culture and beliefs that guide the company. Cannabis, for all its curative and positive potential, is too often characterized as part of society’s counterculture, but March and Ash (MA) wants to challenge that presumption.

“We’re excited to bring this project to Imperial. The first steps are to educate the community about cannabis,” said Blake Marchand, CEO of MA. “All of our concierges are fully educated on all the products and we’re happy to answer any questions.”

According to Marchand, MA will create new jobs, help the community by donating 1 percent of profits to different groups throughout the city such as schools and parks, and 8 percent of their taxes will go back to the city. MA will employ people 21 years of age and older.

“We really want to change the stigma of what people think cannabis is and let them know that we’re not just a pot shop,” said Marchand. “Most of our patients are between 50 and 60 years old, and we have done a great job informing and helping patients that don’t want to take pain pills.” The dispensary will have CBD rooms in the shop for patients to choose which product they would like to purchase.

Patients can also obtain a medical card, if needed, by local and licensed doctors west of the building.

“We really appreciate the support and that’s why we’re working hand in hand with the city through every step,” said Marchand. “It took us about a year to start with the process of permits, and we appreciate the support the city has given us ... Even if it does become recreational, it does not mean they can smoke on the street, it just means that they don’t need a doctor’s card, but they would still have to consume the product at home,” said Marchand.

Cannabis is said by the company to help millions of Americans lead happier, healthier, and more productive lives by using it responsibly. The brand name March and Ash is derived from March, the first month of the year in the Roman calendar, which signifies the beginning of life, and Ash, what remains of a life once lived, used to fertilize new beginnings.

One of the arguments against medical marijuana is that, unlike drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration, “dispensary marijuana” has no quality control guidelines, no standardized composition, or suggested dosage for specific medical conditions, reports the Washington Post. It has no prescribing information and no high-quality studies of effectiveness or long-term safety have been conducted.

Marijuana advocates pressured the federal government to shift marijuana from Schedule I — the most restrictive category of drug — to another schedule or to de-schedule it completely. While the FDA is not averse to approving cannabinoids as medicines, the Post said, it has approved two cannabinoid medications, but the decision to keep marijuana in Schedule I was reaffirmed in a 2015 federal court ruling. According to the Post, researchers say marijuana has only been used widely for a few decades, which means long-term studies are not available on the risks of smoking or eating the drug. Cannabis is said by the company to help millions of Americans lead happier, healthier, and more productive lives by using it responsibly. The brand name March and Ash is derived from March, the first month of the year in the Roman calendar, which signifies the beginning of life, and Ash, what remains of a life once lived, used to fertilize new beginnings.

Article Source Link