Columbia Care Announces Opening of Suffolk County Medical Marijuana Dispensary

NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Columbia Care LLC, one of the nation's leading medical marijuana companies, announced today that its fourth dispensary in the State of New York, located at 1333 East Main Street in Riverhead, will open to qualifying patients on Friday, January 29, 2016.  The 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 has opened four dispensaries across the state, with Riverhead following the Company's Plattsburgh and Rochester dispensaries which opened earlier this week. The Company also opened New York City's first medical marijuana dispensary located in Union Square at the beginning of January.

"Opening in Riverhead is significant to the patients of Long Island and Columbia Care for many reasons," said Columbia Care CEO Nicholas Vita. "Our experience in Riverhead enabled us to collaborate with community leaders and elected officials to form a consensus for how this new program and patient option should serve the community in the most positive way possible.  We are grateful and humbled by the amount of support we have received from local patient groups, medical professionals and community advocates.  The willingness of the Riverhead Town Council to engage with us to find a solution that benefits the patients of Long Island is a testament to their professionalism and their commitment to the welfare of their community.  We look forward providing patients of Long Island with safe, comfortable and professional experience, and are excited to become supportive members of the Riverhead community."

With the addition of New York, Columbia Care has been approved to operate in six highly regulated, medically-focused jurisdictions across the United States, placing it among the country's leading medical marijuana companies.  Riverhead joins the Company's three other dispensaries across the state, including the Company's Manhattan location that opened earlier this month.  This 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 continue its growth and plans on opening facilities 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 Riverhead facility will be accessible to qualifying patients in Suffolk County and the greater Long Island area, 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 concentrates 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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