The biggest brand in the legal cannabis business is set to open its first Louisiana location Friday in Baton Rouge.
Cookies is opening a medical marijuana dispensary at 1940 O’Neal Lane as part of a partnership with Capitol Wellness Solutions. The event, which starts at 10 a.m., will feature a DJ, food trucks and a car show.
The event is open to registered patients with a current Louisiana medical cannabis card, but doctors will be on hand to issue medical cards to people with conditions such as anxiety, depression, chronic pain and insomnia at a discounted fee of $25.
Cookies is a half-billion dollar company founded by Berner, a rapper turned cannabis entrepreneur who has been featured on the cover of Forbes magazine. He will be on hand at the opening to sign autographs.
Berner, born Gilbert Milam Jr., said he never thought he would be opening a medical marijuana business in a conservative Southern state when he started the company more than 20 years ago. He joked that he was scared for his tour bus to drive through Louisiana in case he had a joint. “This is monumental to me,” he said.
“Anywhere the markets open up, we want to be there,” he said. “It made complete sense to move forward with this.”
This will be the 77th branded Cookies store in the world, joining locations in Thailand, Israel and Canada. The company boasts flashy partnerships with former NBA great Gary Payton and rappers such as Rick Ross, El-P and Killer Mike. Berner attributes the company’s growth to the knowledge and experience he developed by operating in the legal marijuana business for the past 23 years. “We’re super passionate about providing the best experience possible,” he said.
Randy Mire, founder and CEO of Capitol Wellness, said the partnership with Cookies came about after the company reached out to him. He met Berner at a conference in Las Vegas, and the two hit it off. “I love how he wants to continually bring awareness to the medical marijuana program, and that was a big thing for Louisiana to be able to educate patients and for them to see a brand that they recognize to join the program,” Mire said.
Patients will be able to purchase a variety of Cookies products at the dispensary including smokable products, metered dose inhalers, extracts, edibles, tinctures and creams. All of the Cookies products at the store will feature marijuana grown at Good Day Farms, which has operations in Ruston and Baton Rouge.
Mire said he expects the introduction of a brand like Cookies in the market will increase the number of medical marijuana patients in the state. “It’s going to be really different and a unique experience that has not taken place in Louisiana before,” he said.
The pharmacy’s inventory includes various forms of marijuana, such as flower, edibles, metered dose inhalers, tinctures and topical creams. Its team of experienced pharmacists can help eligible patients select the right medication and dosage to treat conditions like cancer, epilepsy, anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain, PTSD and others. “Our focus,” says CEO Randy Mire, PharmD, “is to provide an easy way for patients to find relief through the use of natural treatment.”
Becoming a Patient
As of August 2020, any Louisiana licensed medical doctor in good standing with the state Board of Medical Examiners may recommend medical marijuana to their patients. Patients can visit capitolpharmacy.com for a list of physicians actively recommending medical marijuana in the area. Many of them offer telehealth visits, allowing patients to visit with a doctor from their smartphones. The recommendation is faxed or e-scribed by the prescriber directly to Capitol Wellness Solutions, and the patient receives a text when the recommendation has been received.
*Article taken from https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/how-the-biggest-brand-in-legal-marijuana-came-to-baton-rouge/article_7e2febe2-7545-11ef-b14d-efe0ff84fe62.html