HUNTINGTON — Renovations have begun on the former Steak Escape and Sabatino’s location on 5th Avenue in Huntington for a new cannabis dispensary.
Trulieve officials said the Huntington location is expected to open in early September.
Florida-based Trulieve announced last month it was ramping up its operations in the state. In November 2021, Trulieve was the first to open a medical cannabis dispensary in West Virginia.
Earlier this year company said it planned to open seven new dispensary locations throughout the state. In May, it opened two of those locations — one in South Charleston and one in Parkersburg.
The company’s next five locations will be Huntington, Milton, Hurricane, Belle and a second location in Morgantown, which will open in the next couple of weeks. The Milton location is expected to open in late September. Dates have not been set for the openings of the Hurricane and Belle locations.
“We now have cultivation, processing and 10 dispensary permits in the state,” said Heather Peairs, West Virginia area manager of Trulieve. “Trulieve is committed to investing in communities where we operate and will serve West Virginia patients by offering expanded access to high quality products and providing exceptional customer experiences.”
Currently, the Trulieve dispensaries offer flower and oil products. Each dispensary has from 17 to 25 employees, and the cultivation operations could have as many as 125 employees, according to Peairs.
Rob Kremer, Trulieve’s executive director of corporate communications, said the company’s cultivation and production facility in Cabell County recently passed inspection. The company is also operating a temporary facility near the permanent facility in Lesage.
“We are currently utilizing both grow sites, because the Lesage facility recently passed inspection and it’s just getting up to speed,” Kremer said.
The Huntington Area Development Council announced in September last year that it had reached a deal with Trulieve on the sale of more than 70 acres of industrial property and the long-term lease of its 100,000-square-foot industrial building at HADCO Business Park on W.Va. 2 near Lesage.
Peairs said the company has also hired two community engagement team members.
“The Trulieve Community Outreach Program is centered around our core values of diversity, equity and inclusion. Its purpose is to bring awareness to the power of medical cannabis through education and community enrichment,” she said. “By continuing to educate through our Community Outreach Program, we can begin to break the stigmas attached to cannabis, provide a greater understanding on the benefits of this incredible plant, and help deliver a positive impact within the communities in which we operate.”
TERRALEAF TO OPEN CANNABIS DISPENSARY NEAR PROCTORVILLE: TerraLeaf Dispensaries, which has cannabis locations in Huntington, announced Wednesday that it has officially been awarded a provisional dispensary permit issued by the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy as of May 17.
The 4,800-square-foot proposed location of 8055 County Road 107 (old Ohio 7) near Proctorville will be the first dispensary of its kind in Lawrence County, the company said in its announcement.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to drive this movement by creating jobs, providing access and resources for cannabis education, and precipitating positive change so that we can ultimately create a lasting, positive impact on the Ohio community,” said Chris Visco, president and CEO of TerraLeaf.
Ohio will more than double its number of medical marijuana dispensaries to 128 after state officials approved 70 new licenses last month with over 1,500 applications submitted. More than 261,000 patients are currently registered under the program, and approximately 142,000 have received an active recommendation from a physician.
TerraLeaf also said it’s currently hiring for all levels of positions, from management to store associates. Positions begin at $15 per hour with benefits offered for full-time employees. Visit www.terraleafoh.com or contact TerraLeaf Ohio via phone at 740-442-3023 or email careers@terraleafev.com.
OLIVE GARDEN PLANNED FOR ASHLAND: An Olive Garden restaurant could be coming to Ashland.
“We are planning to open an Olive Garden in Ashland, Kentucky and look forward to joining the community,” Meagan Bernstein, with Darden Restaurants, said in an email. “Since the project is still in its early stages, we don’t have many details to share.”
Darden’s family of restaurants features Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Yard House, Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze and Eddie V’s.
It owns and operates more than 1,800 restaurants and employ nearly 160,000 team members, making it one of the 50 largest private employers in America, according to the company’s website.
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