Columbia Care Announces Opening of Rochester Medical Marijuana Dispensary

NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Columbia Care LLC, one of the nation's leading medical marijuana companies, announced today that its third dispensary in the State of New York, located at 200 West Ridge Road in Rochester, will open to qualifying patients on Thursday, January 28, 2016.  The dispensary is the second Columbia Care facility to open at the Eastman Kodak Business Park, along with the cultivation, testing and manufacturing facility.  These openings are a major milestone in the implementation of the State's Compassionate Care Act, which was enacted to provide access to medical marijuana products to patients who are suffering from a number of debilitating and, in many cases, terminal qualifying conditions. 

As one of five companies licensed as a Registered Organization by the New York State Department of Health, Columbia Care will open a dispensary in Riverhead tomorrow, and celebrated the opening of the Plattsburgh dispensary earlier this week.  The Company also opened New York City's first medical marijuana dispensary located in Manhattan near Union Square at the beginning of January.

"Rochester is the cornerstone for Columbia Care's long term success in New York. Our state-of-the-art cultivation and manufacturing facility located in the Eastman Kodak Business Park supports all of our dispensaries throughout New York State," said Columbia Care CEO Nicholas Vita. "We are honored to open our Rochester dispensary and join other entrepreneurial, high growth companies that have taken this opportunity to leverage one of the greatest industrial assets in the United States.  On behalf of my Columbia Care colleagues, I want to express our gratitude for all of the encouragement and enthusiasm we have received from the stakeholders of Rochester, Monroe County and the entire Finger Lakes Region. We look forward to serving the patients of Upstate New York with compassionate, consistent and professional care, and continuing to be a contributing member of the Rochester community." 

With the addition of New York, Columbia Care has been approved to operate in six highly regulated, medically-focused jurisdictions across the US, placing it among the country's leading medical marijuana companies. Rochester joins two additional New York locations, including the Company's Manhattan location that opened earlier this month, which expanded Columbia Care's footprint in the nation's largest cities including Phoenix-metro, Chicago and Washington, D.C.  Next month, Columbia Care's Massachusetts affiliate, Patriot Care, will begin serving patients in Lowell, Boston and later this year, Greenfield, expanding the list of more than 20 state-licensed locations nationwide.

Consistent with its national model, Columbia Care designed its dispensaries with patient comfort and care in mind.  All of Columbia Care's facilities in New York will be staffed by compassionate and dedicated team members, led by state-licensed pharmacists trained to provide the highest level of professionalism and respect for patients and their conditions.  The Rochester facility will be accessible to all qualifying patients in New York and will operate utilizing industry-leading security measures implemented by professionals with law enforcement backgrounds.  To access the facilities, patients must first be deemed eligible by a certified physician and then register with New York State.  Registered patients may schedule appointments at any of Columbia Care's facilities in New York by either logging on to our website at www.col-careny.com or calling us at 1-800-764-8162.

Columbia Care's New York dispensaries will provide patients with a variety of formulations. Initially offering tinctures to be taken under the tongue, additional products will include concentrate for vaporization and orally ingested capsules. Smoking and infused edible products are prohibited under New York's Compassionate Care Act.  All products in Columbia Care's New York dispensaries are cultivated in Rochester at the Eastman Kodak Business Park in highly controlled micro-climates.  To meet the Company's industry-leading quality standards, once the organic cultivation process is completed, targeted compounds are scientifically separated and formulated into a Columbia Care final product.  All offerings undergo independent batch testing to assure the highest levels of consistency in every dose. 

For more information on the New York State Medical Marijuana Program, including information on how to register, please visit https://www.health.ny.gov/regulations/medical_marijuana/.

About Columbia Care LLC

Columbia Care is one of the nation's largest manufacturers and providers of medical marijuana products and services. The Company has been selected to operate in the most highly competitive and regulated jurisdictions and has completed over 100,000 successful patient interactions since its inception.  Founded by two former Goldman Sachs executives, and working in collaboration with some of the most renowned and innovative teaching hospitals and medical centers in the country, Columbia Care is a patient-centered healthcare company aiming to set the standards for a burgeoning new industry – standards for compassion, professionalism, quality, caring, and innovation.

For more information on Columbia Care, please visit www.col-care.com or www.col-careny.com.

SOURCE Columbia Care LLC

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