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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – South Floridians can now go through a drive-thru to receive medicinal marijuana.
The company, Curaleaf, opened its third dispensary with a drive-thru near Miami International Airport on Thursday.
“It increases accessibility,” Curaleaf representative Vinit Patel said of the drive-thru. “It allows for patients that have difficulty moving around, getting out of the car, whatever the case is, so it’s just another avenue for us to dispense the patient’s medications to them.”
Patient Michael Puentes got out of work and went through the drive-thru to receive his medicinal marijuana.
He suffers from severe pain daily from a baseball injury back in high school.
Puentes said, “There’s nothing like coming by after work, being able to purchase my medicine, nice, quick, easy. And it’s a lot less stressful for me as a patient.”
Curaleaf already has drive-thrus attached to their Orlando and Palm Harbor locations.
The concept comes to South Floridians more than a week after Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill making it legal to smoke medical marijuana, something he’s made a priority since taking office in January.
Patients understand not everyone is on board with the idea of ‘fast’ marijuana, or the plant in general, but they’re hoping those opposed will keep an open mind.
“The stories go on and on of people that have had medical benefits from it and it works for them,” Puentes said. “It’s a medical cannabis treatment plan and it should be treated as such.”
According to the Department of Health, every doctor is required to provide research for patients prescribed smokable marijuana.
The department is scheduled to meet on April 4th to discuss the findings.
Curaleaf is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
