On Saturday, Jan. 19, Knox Medical opened the doors to its first dispensary in Miami-Dade County. But this was not the first time that the company began serving this patient population.
“We have a long history of servicing patients in the Miami-Dade metro area through our delivery service, but this is our first bricks-and-mortar location in this area,” said Scott Klenet, public relations spokesman for Knox Medical, which was one of the first medical marijuana treatment centers in the state.
“Our company is firmly based in Miami, and we’re very much connected to this community,” he added. “We’re extremely excited to be expanding more concretely – literally – into the area to physically connect to the patients that we’ve served for years, and to introduce ourselves to new neighbors who might not know us yet.”
Knox’s new location at 175 NW 167th Street in Miami is one of five planned Miami-Dade sites. The second will open in Kendall in February, followed by dispensaries in South Beach and Cutler Bay. The fifth location, in Coral Gables, is scheduled to open in early 2020. Other Florida locations include dispensaries in Gainesville, Orlando, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Lake Worth, St. Petersburg and Fort Walton Beach.
Since opening in 2016, Knox Medical has grown to serve patients across Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico.
“Since our first sale, we’ve grown substantially in Florida, across the country, and increasingly across the globe,” said Klenet, adding that Knox was the first company to dispense cannabis in Texas as one of three license holders in the state. “In 2019, we will continue to expand our footprint in our home state and build on the milestones that have come before.”
Knox kicked off its grand opening with an open house for current and future patients, where they could speak with Knox curators about the company’s products, including the latest THC concentrate formulations and the company’s latest proprietary CBD product line, Perla. Those who were not registered with the Department of Health Office of Medical Marijuana Use were also able to speak with local physicians and care providers to find out more about the process.
Former NFL and University of Miami football all-star running back Willis McGahee was on hand to talk about his journey to wellness, and his hopes and expectations in using cannabis to treat career-related medical issues.
Those who attended the open house also got to tour the new dispensary. “When people think of a dispensary, they might picture a building filled with glass jars of plant material and colorful packaging like you see in recreational markets,” said Klenet. “Our store is different; we want patients to feel safe and secure, so we aim to provide a clean, clinical environment. Our design aesthetic has often been compared to an Apple store.”
One of the biggest benefits of a physical location is that patients can now work with Knox curators to find the products that best suit their needs. “We take a very personalized approach—our curators work one-on-one with patients to identify the right products and to share information on new products and formulations as patients’ health needs change,” said Klenet.
Knox carries CO2 extracted whole-plant products that contain THC, CBD and the full range of other components naturally found in cannabis. Products come in numerous forms including cartridges, drops, capsules, topicals and suppositories. As regulations continue to evolve, Knox may add other products or delivery methods to its inventory.
“As our founder and CEO Jose J. Hidalgo has said, there is a place in the market for flower and smoking – some patients may better benefit from a variety of administration methods,” said Klenet in reference to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ pronouncement on Jan. 17 regarding ending the law that bans smoking medical cannabis. “Knox has always been open to any method of administration that is safe, legal, and provides consistent dosing and effectiveness for our patients.”
