Trulieve opens its doors, becomes first medical marijuana dispensary on the Treasure Coast

VERO BEACH — People waited for hours Thursday to be among the first to buy medical marijuana from the only Treasure Coast dispensary.

By the time Trulieve opened its doors at 10 a.m., a line of more than 60 people snaked across the parking lot, spilling out onto the Commerce Avenue sidewalk.

In fact, there were so many customers that scheduled opening remarks from Trulieve officials were cancelled to allow staff to help clients more quickly, spokeswoman Victoria Walker said. Thursday's crowd was the largest Trulieve has seen on any opening morning, according to Walker.

"It says something about the need," she said. Also, Walker added, Trulieve offered a 25 percent discount on all products on opening day.

Vero's dispensary is smaller than other Trulieve locations, limiting the number of clients served at one time and contributing to the long line.

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Clients began arriving at 6:30 a.m., apparently unfazed by spending a long morning in line.

Many said they are used to driving almost two hours each way to get their products because there is no other dispensary nearby.

Mike Morgan drove from Melbourne to be at the front of the line and ensure he had first pick of the products in stock. Dispensaries sometimes run out of items, he said.

"They have a full selection (here)," Morgan said. Later that morning, a cheer erupted from those waiting in the lobby when Morgan emerged from the dispensing area with his Trulieve product bag.

Vero Beach neighbors Charlie Owens and William Staats were second and third in line and grateful to be shopping at a dispensary so close to home.

Both men said medical marijuana has improved their quality of life.

"It's helping me get off the chemicals, the opioids that I've been on for decades," Staats said.

"It works. (It helps) my pain, my anxiety, my insomnia," Owens added. "And it's much better than opioids."

Others in line chatted about the incorrect stereotype that they say follows medical marijuana users.

"We're not a bunch of drug addicts. We're not a bunch of potheads. We're hard-working people," said Thomas Placanica of Vero Beach, pointing to a crowd of seniors, some with canes or walkers.

Placinica arrived at 8 a.m. to find a line already in front of him.

"I knew it was going to be crowded. I knew a lot of us needed this medication," said Placinica, who uses marijuana products to relieve pain from two knees replacements and crushed vertebrae. "This helps me control it. It helps me sleep at night."

Several in line, including Bill Pilling of Vero Beach, criticized the city for limiting the dispensary's hours to three hours on Saturdays, but allowing pharmacies and liquor stores to stay open.

"(Medical marijuana) doesn't take away my pain. It lets me put up with the pain," Pilling said.

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Trulieve is the first dispensary to open between Palm Beach County and Volusia County, despite a voter-approved 2016 constitutional amendment legalizing the use of medical marijuana for patients with illnesses such as cancer, Crohn's disease, epilepsy or glaucoma.

But Trulieve is unlikely to remain the Treasure Coast's only dispensary.

Alachua-based Liberty Health Services — which applied Feb. 14 to operate in a shopping center at 10941 U.S. 1, Port St. Lucie — said recently it is weeks away from opening.

More: Port St. Lucie medical-marijuana dispensary opening could be coming soon

More: Medical marijuana dispensaries still unavailable on Treasure, Space coasts