Blueberry muffins, salad, pizza and macaroni cheese with a dash of cannabis are among the menu items at a medical marijuana kitchen in Tempe billed as the first of its kind in the country.

The Mint Dispensary's kitchen, 5210 S. Priest Drive, debuts Oct. 5 and aims to take edibles beyond the basic brownies.

Raul Molina, chief operating officer, said exploration began as many patients sought alternatives to smoking and patients with diabetes or other medical conditions needed healthier edible options.

Entry to the kitchen is for medical marijuana cardholders only and all items are available for take-out only. Molina reminds customers to place items in secure places at home similar to other medication.

Cooking classes to vegetarian options

The kitchen will offer a vegetarian menu, a juice bar, coffee, gelato and will host free cooking classes.

The menu will continue to evolve and have seasonal items around holidays.

Molina said he hopes the venture will show there is the ability to create healthier infused meals.

The potential client base continues to grow. The overall number of medical marijuana cardholders in Arizona has grown from more than 130,000 in June 2017 to more than 170,000 in June 2018, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Arizona dispensaries sold 419 pounds of edibles in June, up from 297 pounds a year ago, the department reports.

Entering new territory

A business would need to be a licensed dispensary before it could start the process of opening a kitchen like the Mint, according to Nicole Capone, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Health Services.

While cannabis is becoming popular with chefs across the country, the dispensary stepped into new territory with the full-service kitchen.

"There was no precedent," Molina said.

The state health department, which oversees food safety and medical marijuana dispensary licensing, reviewed the company's menu items, toured its facility and gave suggestions during the nine-month approval process, he said.

The company plans to expand the kitchen concept to one of its locations in Michigan.

Customized doses

Chef Carylann Principal called the kitchen a place "where art meets science."

"In addition to understanding the variety of flavors that different cannabis strains can add to any dish, we're also carefully calculating customized cannabis doses," she said in a statement.

Doses will start at 10 mg and will be customized based on the individual and the menu item.

Molina said he encourages people to do research on the industry if they have doubts about the benefits.

"I can't wait for more research and development to be put into place so we can understand the plant better and know where we go next," he said.

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