This closed-down diner in York County could become a medical marijuana dispensary

Sam Ruland | York Daily Record

South York Diner was once a place people went to fill their craving for bacon and eggs, but soon people might be pulling into the parking lot to fill something else: a prescription for medical marijuana.

Right off Interstate 83, the small, vacant building that was home to the restaurant could become the location for the county's next medical marijuana dispensary— if the Pennsylvania Department of Health gives the go-ahead.

Five-Leaf Remedies, a corporation based in York, is pursuing licenses to grow, dispense and sell medical marijuana in Pennsylvania.

Christina Kauffman, a spokesperson for Five-Leaf Remedies, said their ultimate goal is to set up a dispensary in York Township and build a growing and processing facility at their East Poplar Street site in York, which was once a tobacco warehouse.

This project gives Five-Leaf a chance to make an impact, Kauffman said. She spoke of the corporation's connection to the community, citing a desire to improve the quality of people's lives as their ultimate motivation.

"Bettering people's lives really is our crux," said Kauffman. "When people have a sore throat, or even a heart condition, it's so easy for them to just go out and get the medication they need instantly. But right now the people who need medical marijuana are not able to access it and that's frustrating."

A listing of York County physicians who are approved to prescribe medical marijuana can be found at the bottom of this article.

More: Updated list: Here are doctors who will be able to prescribe medical marijuana in Pa.

This will be the second time the York County corporation has applied for a license after being denied one last year and losing thousands of dollars in application fees. The dispensary application requires a non-refundable $5,000 fee, and the growing/processing license a $10,000 fee, according to the department of health website.

Since their last application was denied, Five-Leaf partnered with a larger, more-experienced cannabis grower from Washington state, Grow Op Farms, that also happens to be the top marijuana producer in Washington.

More: Pa. expands medical marijuana program to include dry leaf, flower

More: Pa. medical marijuana: Lawmakers urge feds to remove pot from controlled substances list

"We don't really have an answer as to why our application was denied last time," Kauffman said. "We did notice though that most of the corporations that got approved were larger and had more experience than us, so partnering with Grow Op gives us that expertise."

Kauffman said that compared to other applicants, they are the most community-concentrated group. Even with their new partnership, they plan to keep all proceeds in York County.

"The chance of just running into one of us at the grocery store is pretty high, which is something you don't get with those higher-up corporate firms — that's accountability," Kauffman said.

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Five-Leaf Remedies should hear about the status of their license by the end of June. While they are looking to obtain both a growing and dispensary license, it is possible they could get approved for just one, or none.

"We don't know what to think about our chances right now," Kauffman said, "but we think that with an idea as good as ours, and with such good intention, there was no way we couldn't pursue it."

Knox Medical, the planned dispensary in Hanover, received approval to begin operations back in March. The dispensary should be open within the next few months, but a date for the grand opening has yet to be announced.

Also of interest, watch this video about where medical marijuana money goes:

Watch: Where does medical marijuana money go? Pennsylvania will gain about $7.9 million from marijuana permit applicants this year.

The following doctors may prescribe medical marijuana in York County:

Todd Barron, M.D.

Pediatric Neurology

212 Rosedale Drive, Manchester

Ravi Dukkipati, M.D.

Neurology

228 St. Charles Way, Suite 200, York

Fengjun Jiang, M.D.

Epilepsy and Seizure Disorder

228 St. Charles Way, Suite 200, York

Bruce Klaskin, D.O.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

1030 Plymouth Rd., York

Douglas McCracken, M.D.

Family Medicine

605 South George St., Suite 200, York

Christine Phillips, M.D.

Internal Medicine and Rheumatology

3130 Grandview Road, Hanover

Michael Peck, D.O.

Family Practice

250 Fame Ave., Suite 206A, Hanover

Susan Peck, D.O.

OBGYN and Opiate Addiction

20 North St., Hanover

Quincy Harberger, M.D.

Family Medicine

1401 Roosevelt Ave., York

Gary Nalavany, M.D.

Aanesthesiology

250 Fame Ave., Suite 110, Hanover

Gregory Khan-Arthur, D.O.

Family Medicine and Pain Medicine

2251 Eastern Blvd., Suite 101, York

Michael Watson, M.D.

Radiation Oncology

773 Cherry Tree Court, Hanover