SILVER SPRING, Md., Oct. 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — 4Front Holdings, LLC (“4Front”), a leading retail and brand development company in the U.S. cannabis sector, today announced plans to open a Mission™ dispensary in Silver Spring, Maryland.
The Silver Spring location is the first Mission dispensary in Maryland, and is the result of a recently established licensing relationship between Premium Medicine of Maryland, a state-licensed medical cannabis dispensary, and Mission, a nationally recognized network of medical marijuana dispensaries with existing operations in Chicago and Allentown, Penn. Mission is the national retail brand of 4Front.
The new dispensary, located in the Glenmont Shopping Center and measuring 2,000 sq. ft., will provide patients in Glenmont, Wheaton, Rockville, Olney and Silver Spring with access to a premier health and wellness facility that offers the best possible patient experience and medicinal cannabis products. At the dispensary, Mission will initially employ a team of 30 patient-care professionals. Mission expects to begin accepting patients the week of Oct. 15 and will be open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The Silver Spring location is Mission’s third dispensary in the country, preceded by the Mission dispensaries on Chicago’s South Shore, which opened in 2017, and in Allentown, Penn., which opened in June 2018.
“I’m excited to bring Mission’s premiere patient experience platform to serve more Maryland patients,” said Dawn Marie Steenstra, co-founder of Premium Medicine and co-owner of the Silver Spring dispensary. “Because of my background as a nurse, I wanted to bring the best patient experience to Maryland. Our team was impressed with Mission’s experience, attention to detail and commitment to patient education, so it just made sense for us to make this first-rate experience available to our patients in the greater Silver Spring communities.”
For the past year, Ms. Steenstra has served on a full-time basis as one of the only medical professionals in Maryland educating medical cannabis patients on the endocannabinoid system and how different types of medical cannabis can be helpful for specific patient conditions, as well as how to become a patient within the state’s medical cannabis program.
Mission’s patient-care professionals are well trained and prepared to help anyone exploring medical cannabis as a treatment option. Given Maryland’s large veteran population, Mission has also given special attention to being of service to veterans, who often have unique healthcare needs and may benefit from the use of cannabis in managing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and intractable pain. Mission’s staff is specially trained to be able to talk to veterans about cannabis, including advice on how to discuss cannabis with your healthcare provider and the potential implications of cannabis use on VA benefits.
“This location is the culmination of more than three years of work to bring a best-in-class patient services experience to the D.C.-metro area,” said Jenny Einsig, the General Manager of Mission’s Silver Spring dispensary. “We are located amidst one of the largest veteran populations in the country, down the road from one of the nation’s largest senior living communities (Leisure World), and across the street from one of the busiest commuter rail stations in the region. We are excited to help patients in our community experience medical cannabis in the best way possible.”
As part of the opening, Mission will hold a series of open houses at the dispensary for members of the community and media ahead of its official opening. Mission expects to begin accepting its first patients during the week of October 15th. A detailed list of the open houses follows:
Wed., Oct. 3, 5-8 p.m. — Veterans and cannabis. Sean Gallagher, a former U.S. Navy officer and Board Member at the Veterans Cannabis Project will be hosting a discussion focused on the specific needs of the Silver Spring area veterans
Tues., Oct. 9, 5-8 p.m. — Women and cannabis. Maryland native, resident and cannabis patient Leah Heise, who also serves as Mission’s Chief Experience Officer, will talk about the specific needs of women and how cannabis can impact their lives. As the former executive director of Women Grow, and a medical cannabis user, Leah is well positioned to answer any questions about how cannabis can help women.
Wed., Oct. 10, 5-8 p.m. — Industry night. Mission invites dispensary owners, growers and other stakeholders to come together and “talk shop” with the newest member of the cannabis community.
Thurs., Oct. 11, 12-4 p.m. — Seniors and cannabis. Seniors are among the fastest growing populations of cannabis patients. This daytime session will focus on seniors, and others who may be new to the space, to get a better understanding of the basics of medical cannabis, including: understanding the plant, how to obtain your medical card, how to find the right products for you, etc.
Thurs., Oct. 11, 5-8 p.m. — Super Bowl XXXII Champion and former Denver Bronco, Jamie Brown will be on hand to discuss his experience as a former NFLer, how he uses cannabis to relieve symptoms of CTE, how cannabis can impact sports recovery, as well as his passion for building a cannabis industry that is diverse and creates opportunities for minorities and people of color.
Mission’s Silver Spring dispensary is located at 12355 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, Maryland.
About 4Front
4Front Holdings, LLC (“4Front”) is a leading retail and brand development company in the U.S. cannabis sector. It has developed a national platform that consists of a multi-state footprint, including its Mission-branded retail operations, and a far-reaching network of partnership relationships. Led by a group of professionals with experience in finance, real estate, manufacturing, and multi-location retail and hospitality operations, 4Front has invested heavily to assemble a comprehensive collection of management skills and hands-on operating expertise that can support the rapid operational growth opportunity being afforded by the increased legalization of cannabis across the United States as well as internationally. For more information, visit the website.
