Medical marijuana dispensary opening this fall

Philadelphia’s first medical marijuana dispensary is set to open this fall on west Beacon Street.

Dabbs Cannabis Dispensary is set to have a grand opening in mid-October at 1024 W Beacon St. across from Popeyes, the dispensary owners said.

Business partners Tony Wallace and Bobby Britton of Mendenhall say they are excited to introduce their medical marijuana franchise to Neshoba County. They already own four dispensaries in Scott, Rankin, and Simpson counties, making the Neshoba location their fifth.

“Our whole purpose is to serve patients and to serve veterans,” Britton said. “I’m a combat veteran, and this is the only thing that has really helped me with the mental conditions that I currently have. I’ve seen how it helps other people with their conditions and it’s one of the best things in the world for pain.”

According to Britton, Philadelphia has welcomed their business with open arms. “It was definitely challenging to get everything going, but from a city standpoint, Philadelphia has made the process very enjoyable compared to other cities we’ve dealt with. We would love to show them the medical side of this,” he said. 

Dabbs Cannabis Dispensary offers everything from flower to topicals, lotions, bath bombs, concentrates, and edibles. Everything they offer is tested and grown in Mississippi, and it is all quality controlled, Britton said. 

“It is a medical program, and we have the data and science to back up things. There’s certain terpenes and cannabinoids associated with qualifying conditions to help people,” Britton said. “The whole goal is to get people off opioids. We are currently doing that, and it is already working. People are getting off these pills and getting on natural plants, and their quality of life has changed tremendously.

“I think this will be great once we get some practitioners and doctors on board to write prescriptions. That way, all the Neshoba County residents that do have a medical card and want to participate in the program are not having to drive 30 miles to get their medicine. It’s important to us to make it convenient for these patients in the county.”

The Legislature approved medical marijuana in 2022. Neshoba County opted out, but the city of Philadelphia did not.

Aldermen opted in on a 3-2 vote at their April 19 meeting after what they said were powerful testimonies from a sick, cancer-stricken man and a woman who is a registered herbalist and cancer survivor. That vote reversed an earlier decision to opt out.

The Board of Supervisors on April 18 voted to opt out of the state’s new medical marijuana law that, without the vote, would have automatically allowed growing and the opening of dispensaries in the county.

Neshoba County Sheriff Eric Clark had warned supervisors about legalizing marijuana without clear guidelines being in place and backed the decision to opt out to take time to understand more fully the implications of the law and impact on law enforcement, especially.

For more information on Dabbs, go to dabbscannabisdispensary.com.