Sanctuary Medicinals Florida is pleased to announce that it has opened its first medical cannabis dispensary at 5381 International Drive in Orlando. The new stand-alone location marks the launch of Sanctuary’s plans to establish a statewide presence in Florida.
Sanctuary Medicinals Florida is a partnership between Dewar Nurseries of Apopka, Florida, and Sanctuary Medicinals of Littleton, Mass., which operates grow facilities and dispensaries in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. As a wholesale nursery internationally renowned for its roses, Dewar supplies a variety of floral and fruit plants to major home-improvement chains, grocery stores, and retailers across more than 20 states. The state of Florida awarded Dewar a license to cultivate, manufacture and retail medical cannabis in April 2019.
Jason Sidman, founder and CEO of Sanctuary Medicinals, said Florida’s growing population and vibrant economy make the Sunshine State an ideal place in which to launch a new business.
“We see a bright future for our business. Medical cannabis is now firmly established as a legal, licensed and regulated product in the state of Florida and the number of patients grows significantly every month. We think this is the perfect time to invest in Florida, and we are thrilled to partner with Dewar Nurseries,” Sidman said. “We look forward to serving the patient community here, as well as helping to boost the local economy through job creation,” he added.
According to the state Office of Medical Marijuana Use, Florida had 533,755 patients with medical marijuana cards as of April 16.
Partner Bill Dewar of Dewar Nurseries said Sanctuary’s philosophy toward growing medical cannabis and producing cannabis products will set the company apart in the marketplace.
“Sanctuary takes a very scientific and rigorous approach toward production, which is something we have always relied upon in our own nursery business,” Dewar said. “The more you can control growing conditions, such as light, water and nutrients, the more predictability you can achieve in terms of the final product. In the end, we want Sanctuary customers to feel assured they are getting a product that is developed for them under perfect conditions.”
Sanctuary’s new flagship location on International Drive is centrally located in the Orlando market, making it easy to reach from all parts of Central Florida, Sidman said. He noted that Sanctuary is focused on identifying high-traffic locations.
“The next level in this young and growing industry is assuring patients that they will have access to this form of care,” Sidman said. “Our strategy will be to focus on stand- alone locations in highly visible marketplaces with plenty of parking and plenty of room inside each dispensary. We want our patients to feel as though their needs and their concerns are our No. 1 priority. Chief among those is making it safe and easy to get to our facility.”
To celebrate the opening of Sanctuary’s Orlando location, all patients will be eligible for a 30% in-store discount on April 20.
In addition to the International Drive location, Sanctuary has identified and secured additional locations in markets throughout the state, including Jupiter, St. Petersburg, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Fort Pierce, Sidman said.
Sanctuary will offer a comprehensive line of medical cannabis products, including flower, vapor cartridges and edibles. Quantities will be available in supplies designed to last nine days, 30 day, 50 days and 70 days.
For more information about Sanctuary Medicinals Florida, please visit: www.sanctuarymed.com.
AboutSanctuary MedicinalsFlorida
Sanctuary Medicinals Florida is a partnership between Littleton, Mass.-based Sanctuary Medicinals, a multistate operator of grow facilities and dispensaries in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and Apopka, FL-based Dewar Nurseries, one of the leading producers in the foliage industry. Sanctuary Medicinals Florida launched its first location in February 2021 and intends to establish a statewide network of medical cannabis dispensaries. For more information, please visit https://www.sanctuarymed.com
