The law allows the use of medicinal marijuana for cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, PTSD, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Crohn's and Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain.

Ocala's first legal medical marijuana dispensary opened quietly last week along State Road 200, selling an array of cannabis-derived products by prescription only.

Florida voters approved the sale of certain forms of the drug for medicinal use in November 2016 through a constitutional amendment. More than 71 percent of voters were in favor of the measure. But, until last week, the nearest dispensaries to Ocala were in Gainesville or Lady Lake.

Curaleaf took over the location of a former home design store at 1839 SR 200, between Sonny's BBQ and an automobile graphics business. The Massachusetts-based company hopes to have 22 stores open in Florida by the end of the year. The Ocala location is store No. 18, said Vinit Patel, regional dispensary operations manager.

Inside, the store resembles a boutique retailer with brightly lit display counters and vibrant colors. White is the dominant color, including for staff uniforms, with highlights of neon green. The back wall of the display area features a large sign made of live moss with the company name emblazoned across it.

"Ocala is centrally located. We have the state's other major markets covered and smack dab in the middle is this beautiful area," said Patel, about locating a store in the city.

Despite the quiet opening, the waiting area was busy Friday with people filling prescriptions. While there are several Ocala doctors certified to dispense marijuana prescriptions and hemp-derived CBD products are readily available in the county, the active THC products offered by Curaleaf are a first.

Patricia Erickson said she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and before legalization, she smoked the black market drug to get relief.

"I was so happy when (the amendment) passed," she said, adding she only buys the legal form of the drug now.

She said the drug relieves her stress and improves her mood. Having a nearby outlet is more convenient as well.

"I love having it so close to my home. I don't have to worry about going so far away to get my medicine," she said.

Getting the legal drug is not as straightforward as filling other prescriptions. A person must go to a certified physician who determines if their condition qualifies under state law. The doctor then registers the person in the state's medical marijuana user registry. After the person pays the required state fees, the doctor can then prescribe the drug. After the registration and prescription get validated at the dispensary, only then can the client enter the dispensing area.

All the hoops are an effort to foil those looking to game the system.

The dispensaries also must follow strict rules.

The law requires that the cultivation, processing and sale of the drug all take place within the state. Curaleaf operates one of Florida's largest marijuana growing operations, near Mount Dora, and processes the plant in Miami. They hope to open another processing facility in Mount Dora, Patel said.

The company makes several products, which include high THC — the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana — and low THC. They include vape oil, tincture, capsules and CBD oil. The company also makes cartridges that contain the full marijuana flower but is meant for vaping only.

"It's non-combustible flower. They are in tamper-proof ceramic pods," Patel said, adding that the pod requires a machine that heats up the flower enough to release the active ingredients, but not hot enough to burn the material.

"The flower is always going to have a full-spectrum effect," said Patel, who also is a pharmacist.

He said some of the product the dispensary sells do produce a high, but the benefit is greater than the temporary feeling.

"I worked for an independent (pharmacy) chain. Unfortunately, the majority of my patients were on some sort of opiate, benzodiazepine or a sleeping medication. I couldn't do that anymore, knowing what this plant can really do for people," Patel said.

Prices range from $15 for small flower vaporizer cartridges to $90 for 30 milliliters of CBD oil. Since the drug is still banned by federal law, it is largely a cash business, though there are a few online companies that process payments.

Some locals are not thrilled with the arrival of the dispensary.

Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn is personally opposed to the sale of products with active THC.

"I'm not a big fan of that stuff. I went to talk to a guy who gives the actual prescriptions and he said, 'I've got 350 reasons that say I can prescribe,'" Guinn said.

The law allows the use of medicinal marijuana by those suffering from cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Crohn's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis or chronic pain.

It's that last condition that Guinn thinks is getting abused the most.

"Chronic pain. That can mean anything," he said. "I get that 71 percent of the people voted to allow it, but a lot of what was talked about was use by children having seizures. That one thing, sure. But I think it's just being abused."

Guinn also feels the ultimate goal of the marijuana industry is to legalize the recreational use of the drug.

"To me (medicinal marijuana) is an entry to legalizing marijuana. It's just the first step. I don't think that's good at all," he said.

In 2017, the Ocala City Council voted 4-0 to end a temporary ban on dispensaries and establish regulations for those types of businesses. While Guinn, as mayor, had the power to veto the measure, the council had the votes to overturn him. Ocala Police Chief Greg Graham also asked the council to ban dispensaries at that time.

Contact Carlos E. Medina at 867-4157 or cmedina@starbanner.com