Walgreens, a leading retail pharmaceutical establishment with over 8,000 branches sprinkled around the US, dipped its toes into the medical marijuana community through an educational article published on the company’s official Tumblr blog. The post caught everyone by surprise, considering that most businesses are still feeling out the cannabis industry.

“For America’s largest retailer of pharmaceuticals to speak this straightforwardly about cannabis certainly signals a sea change,” explained Ricardo Baca from the Denver Post.

Positive and Encouraging

The information found on the blog post is positive and accurate (sources are cited clearly at the end of the article). Written by Dahlia Sultan, a resident at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s College of Pharmacy, the post is easy to digest for readers who aren’t familiar with the plant’s medicinal properties. It also covers the government’s debatable stance on the organic herb. With hashtag categories like #wellness, #health and #pharmacy, the business left plenty of subtle hints about its views on cannabis.

“However, research has also shown marijuana provides pain relief in ways traditional pain medicines don’t. Medical marijuana can improve appetite and relieve nausea in those who have cancer and it may help relieve symptoms such as muscle stiffness in people who have multiple sclerosis,” wrote Sultan.

While people are writing open letters to the cannabis sector, Walgreens is publishing blog posts, which in some way can be considered as an open letter- since it was widely distributed intentionally, and addressed to anyone who reads it. The comment section is filled with encouraging feedback and testimonials from patients taking medical cannabis for treatment. Readers are congratulating the business for taking a huge step in advocating the use of the plant.

Walgreen’s Recommendations

Perhaps the most interesting tidbits in the post includes the company’s tips on acquiring marijuana and a short, straightforward disclaimer designed to ward off people who might be thinking about buying weed from Walgreens after reading the article. For individuals who are interested in purchasing medical cannabis, Sultan suggests taking the conventional route of talking with a licensed physician. The post makes this point twice, with the first point highlighted in large font with a bright green background (there’s no room for misinterpretation in a write up like this).

Walgreens is a veteran in the pharmaceutical space, and it knows the effects the post could have to a movement that is under constant scrutiny by the media, government and large brands worldwide. As for the disclaimer, it reads, “Walgreens is not a licensed medical marijuana provider.” The statement cleared the air on the establishment’s services, and left some readers questioning the future of buying medical marijuana: What if patients could buy weed from retail pharmaceutical stores?