he Pennsylvania Department of Health issued two of the first 27 medical marijuana dispensary permits on Thursday to companies opening dispensaries in Allentown and Bethlehem Township.
Here are some fast facts about GuadCo LLC’s Keystone Canna Remedies dispensary in Bethlehem Township and Mission Pennsylvania II LLC’s dispensary on the south end of Allentown, gleaned from their applications and other health department records.
Mission Pennsylvania II LLC
View Application
Where: Emmaus Avenue Plaza, 2733 W. Emmaus Ave., Allentown.
Who: 4Front Ventures, a Phoenix management consulting firm which provides financial backing to Boston-based Mission Partners LLC. According to its website, 4Front has won 54 dispensary and grower/processor licenses since 2011. It’s working with partners to open businesses in Maryland, Illinois and Massachusetts.
Kris Krane, founder and president of 4Front, is featured in Boston Magazine this month.
Mission Pennsylvania’s local connection is Ari Molovinsky, one of the company’s principals. Molovinsky was born and raised in Allentown. Now living in New York City, he currently works as a healthcare consultant and was the former senior director of consumer strategy at WebMD.
State Rep. Maureen Madden, a Monroe County Democrat, wrote a letter of support for Mission Pennsylvania’s application. The organization, she said, “has made it clear it intends to work closely with the community, adjacent towns and our police departments to ensure it is a good neighbor and responsible business.”
Mission Pennsylvania applied unsuccessfully for a grower/processor permit in East Stroudsburg.
Associates: According to its application, Mission Pennsylvania will partner with the Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Mission Pennsylvania pledges to support the center’s study of neuropathic pain and related use of cannabinoids by contributing as much as $100,000 to a study.
Mission Pennsylvania said it has already reached out to Lehigh Carbon Community College and Northampton Community College about creating classes on the marijuana business and to “offer our skills as adjunct professors to teach classes in preparing for a career in the medical marijuana industry.”
Community impact: According to its application, Mission Pennsylvania will offer a “just wage” of at least $14.74 and will focus on hiring people living in the Allentown, Bethlehem Area, Whitehall-Coplay and Catasauqua Area school districts because they have the highest rates of child poverty.
Mission Pennsylvania also said it would annually contribute 0.5 percent of its profits, or up to $50,000, to the Cancer Support Community of the Greater Lehigh Valley. It will offer an “corporate-match giving program” as a way to encourage employees to contribute.
Humanity program: Mission Pennsylvania said in its application that it will offer medical marijuana at a reduced cost to patients who are recipients of Supplemental Security Income or have a gross annual household income of less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, adjusted for family size.
credit:mcall.com