The Mendenhall Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed a historic business to Simpson County last Thursday, Dabbs Cannabis Dispensary.
The new business opened at 1510 Simpson Highway 149 in Mendenhall next door to the Simpson County Sheriff’s Department, which owner Bobby Britton explained was by design. This is the first medical cannabis dispensary in the county, and the business is located in the first gas station in Mendenhall.
Britton is a young entrepreneur and veteran who recently moved back to Simpson County. He explained how important it was that he open his business in Simpson County and expressed his love for the community. He said the business could create up to 10 new jobs for the community.
He gave a complete tour of the facility and explain how the operation works.
He said that before a person can purchase cannabis from the dispensary, they must obtain a medical cannabis card. The first step for the potential patient is to see a certified practitioner or doctor who is aligned with the Department of Health. From there the patient would be guided on what medical records they would need to support their claim of a qualifying condition. If qualified, the patient will then be eligible for a medical cannabis card and receive a certification.
Within 60 days of receiving the certification it must be submitted to the Department of Health electronically. The certification becomes invalid after 60 days. Submitting the certification and paying a $25 fee gets the patient a medical cannabis card.
The medical card must be obtained before Dabbs Cannabis Dispensary can fill a patient’s needs. Everyone will have different amounts of cannabis allowed, which will be determined by their physician. A state wide system keeps up with the allotment that has been issued to prevent a patient from abusing dispensaries and attempts to get prescriptions filled twice at different locations. Britton said the max allotment for any person is three quarters of an ounce per week.
Britton said upon entering the dispensary the patient will be met by a receptionist who scans their identification to make sure it is valid and their medical card to make sure they are not over their allotment. Once checked in, the patient is buzzed into the dispensary.
The dispensary itself is protected with steel doors that had to be installed to Department of Health specifications. The Mendenhall dispensary is a concrete filled building with steel reinforcements and a commercial grade security system as required by the state. The building is built with one way in and one way out.
The dispensary will offer a variety of products. Britton explained that cannabis comes in many forms besides the flower and can be ingested multiple ways. Vape pens, smoking apparatuses and chewable gummies cover a small portion of the products Dabbs offers.
Britton said, “The electronics make it really controllable with how much THC you take in. A lot of patients like taking it in that way. There are many ways to consume this. You can smoke it, you can eat it, you can drink it. We also have a topical and make tablets and tinctures too.”
Britton said the medicines carried in the dispensary will be in categories on a menu.
Britton said, “Categories— meaning you will have your flower, edibles, concentrates, and topicals in sections. And with those you’re going to have different strains and depending on the properties of the cannabinoids and the terpenes it’s going to be a hybrid, sativa, or indica.
He said patients can expect to be educated on the correct strains for their needs. He said all the patient needs to do is tell a staff member their symptoms and they will plug those symptoms into a software called Leafly to help suggest the right strains.
“Our job is really educating the patient and guiding them to the correct strain and medicine,” Britton said.
He explained that to work in the dispensary employees have to pass a background check, be fingerprinted, and attend eight hours of training initially and five hours each year after. Dabbs will hold monthly training for the staff to assure that everyone stays aware of the latest developments in the industry.
Britton said, “Everybody is still learning. There is new information coming out about cannabis every single day, and what a lot of people don’t realize is there are over 150 different cannabinoids in the plant that help with different symptoms. It’s really scientific.”
Britton explained that the dispensary is needed because it helps people know exactly what they are putting in their bodies as opposed to buying cannabis illegally. He said each flower has seed to sell tracking. Britton said each plant and product has a certificate of analysis, meaning the products have been tested multiple times.
He said, “You always know exactly what you’re putting into your body. All this stuff has been tested and if a patient wants a certificate of analysis they know exactly what they’re getting. If they go on the street it can be laced with something. Here they can actually pick their medicines.”
Britton shared his future plans saying he is involved with another dispensary in Richland on Highway 49.
Britton said, “My only plans are concentrating on these two and making sure our patients are taken care of, and getting systems in place for our staff. Everybody is learning and all of this is new so it’ll be an interesting and very busy six months to a year getting everything settled.”
