Sussex’s second medical marijuana dispensary opens Oct. 25

For more than two years, Sussex County’s medical marijuana patients have had only one place in Sussex County to purchase their medicine. That changes today, Friday, Oct. 25.

New York-based company Columbia Care, which already has locations in Smyrna and Wilmington, is opening its third location in Tanger Outlets Bayside at 10 a.m. Signs announcing the arrival of the new dispensary were hung Oct. 24 on the storefront near the Exxon station on southbound Route 1.

In May 2017, First State Compassion Center opened the county’s first dispensary off Route 9 in The Vineyards outside Lewes. It was the second dispensary for First State, which opened the state’s first in Wilmington in June 2015. A third company, Fresh Cannabis, has a location in Newark.

In an email Oct. 22, Andrea Wojcik, Delaware Department of Health and Social Services spokeswoman, confirmed Columbia Care plans to open a medical marijuana dispensary in Rehoboth Beach, but she said any additional specific information regarding location and opening dates would have to come from Columbia Care.

In an email Oct. 24, George DeNardo, Columbia Care vice president of Mid-Atlantic operations, said the dispensary was opening Oct. 25. According to the company’s website, the dispensary is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information call 302-212-0033. The address is 36725 Bayside Outlet Dr., Rehoboth. 

According to DHSS records, the number of medical marijuana patients in the state and Sussex County continues to rise. As of Oct. 21, there were 8,211 patients in Delaware, with 2,524, or roughly 31 percent, in Sussex County. When First State opened its Lewes dispensary, there were 2,802 patients in the state, with 19 percent of them coming from Sussex County.