A medical marijuana dispensary that will be housed in a former woodworking supply shop along McKnight Road in Ross could be ready to open by early summer, according to the company’s president.

Organic Remedies Inc., which operates dispensaries in Chamberburg, Enola and York in South Central Pennsylvania received conditional use approval last month from the township commissioners to operate a dispensary in the former Rockler Woodworking and Hardware store at 7402 McKnight Road.

Organic Remedies president Eric Hauser, who is a pharmacist, said the Ross location will make it easier for patients to obtain their medications.

“We wanted to open a location in Ross because it fills a need for care,” he said. “There aren’t any dispensaries in that area. The closest ones are in Cranberry Township and the Strip District in Pittsburgh. We’re hoping to be open to the public sometime in June or early July.”

Before opening the Ross location, the company must submit its final plans to the state Department of Health for approval, which typically takes two to four weeks, Hauser said.

“After the plans are approved we can begin applying for permits to get the store ready,” he said.

Hauser said the company is hoping to expand its operations with a second location in the Pittsburgh area and one in the Philadelphia area.

Since launching its dispensaries three years ago, Organic Remedies has treated more than 23,000 patients who suffer from the conditions the state has approved for treatment with marijuana, which include anxiety disorders, autism, cancer, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, chronic pain and others.

Hauser noted that when a person is approved by a physician to receive a medical marijuana card, they do not get a prescription for the medication.

Instead, the pharmacists who staff dispensaries consult with patients to determine the form of marijuana that will be most beneficial for their condition. In addition to cured dry leaf marijuana, medications can come in capsules, oils, ointments, tinctures and liquids made from the plant.

To help refine treatment options, Organic Remedies has partnered with the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in a research project to track how well they respond to the medication they are receiving.

“We’re about eight months into a study in which 200 patients have enrolled,” Hauser said. “The early indicators are that we are getting some really good results.”

During the three years since Organic Remedies launched its first operation, attitudes about using marijuana as medication have changed, Hauser said.

“There were a lot of doctors that didn’t believe marijuana was an option and didn’t even want to talk to us about it,” he said. “Now some of those very same doctors are referring patients to us.”

Dan DeMarco, president of the Ross board of commissioners, said concerns about potential security problems associated with having a marijuana dispensary in the community have diminished.

“I think more people today have begun to accept marijuana as a legitimate treatment and an alternative to more dangerous drugs that are used to treat pain,” he said. “And as far as security issues, I’m confident that the company has addressed all our concerns. Based on the presentations they’ve made to toe board, the system and people who will be running the place are top-notch.”

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