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The first of two medical marijuana dispensaries slated to compete in Atlantic City will open on the Boardwalk Saturday morning.

Compassionate Care Foundation, based in Egg Harbor Township, initially planned to open a satellite dispensary on the Boardwalk in June, but delays pushed it back some eight months. Acreage Holdings, one of the largest cannabis companies in the nation, announced it planned to acquire Compassionate Care in November.

“This is a very special day for us,” said David Knowlton, the company’s chairman of the board. “It’s been a long trek to get this done.”

The dispensary, named The Botanist, held a soft opening Friday afternoon. It took over a century-old building, famous once as restaurant before turning into a souvenir shop, just blocks from the Steel Pier and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

The history is clear in the dispensary’s high ceilings and industrial design. But shelves bearing jars and plants give it a modern feel, and the glass pipes and socks sporting cannabis leaves placed throughout leave no doubt about the space new purpose.

Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr., right, speaks as David Knowlton, Chairman of the Board of the Compassionate Care Foundation, looks on during the preview event for The Botanist, a satellite medical marijuana dispensary in Atlantic City, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. The Botanist opens to the public Saturday, Feb. 22.Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Compassionate Care opened in 2013 as one of the original six operators with a vertically integrated license, meaning they can grow, process and retail cannabis. Back then, those wading into the cannabis business faced more opposition from towns and skepticism in communities.

“When we started, it was like the Dark Ages,” said Knowlton, who has been a part of the company since its beginning. “There’s so much enthusiasm. But it didn’t start out there.”

Another vertically integrated operator, MPX, has its permit to grow marijuana in Pleasantville after securing a license in late 2018. It plans to open a storefront in Atlantic City this year.

Some criticized the Health Department’s decision to award a second license in Atlantic County while many patients face long drives to get marijuana in other parts of the state.

But the city welcomes the revitalization and potential tax revenue, should Compassionate Care ditch its non-profit status down the line.

“We appreciate how medical cannabis can benefit many people seeking relief for a range of ailments,” said Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. “We look forward to working with [Compassionate Care Foundation] and know they will be an engaged and valued member of the Atlantic City community.”

David Knowlton, Chairman of the Board of the Compassionate Care Foundation, presents a coin to veteran and patient Robert Seeley during the preview event for The Botanist, a satellite medical marijuana dispensary in Atlantic City, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. The Botanist opens to the public Saturday, Feb. 22.Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The dispensary will open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday through Sunday.

There are currently eight other open dispensaries, one of which is a satellite, selling weed in the Garden State.

The medical marijuana program, which now has nearly 70,000 patients enrolled, is slated to grow even more. The Health Department issued another request for applicants last summer, planning to license up to 24 businesses up and down the state. But two lawsuits taking issue with the decision process have put evaluations on hold until at least the spring.

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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