NH's first medical marijuana dispensary opens; buyers hope for relief

By DAN SEUFERT
Sunday News Correspondent

PLYMOUTH — The first person to buy medical marijuana in New Hampshire has had four operations in the past four years for painful muscle ailments.

Jesse, a North Country resident who wouldn’t give his last name, said he’s tried opiate medications, massage therapy and acupuncture to halt his pain. “It hasn’t helped,” he said. “I’m hoping the marijuana will.”

On its first morning of operation Saturday, Sanctuary ATC (alternative treatment center), the state’s first therapeutic cannabis dispensary, had about two dozen people with various ailments waiting on its patio, many sitting on stools with canes or crutches at their sides.

It wasn’t clear what the mood was inside the dispensary. The only people allowed inside were customers who had registry cards from the state health department. Outside it wasn’t a celebratory crowd. Each cardholder had stories of physical pain. Many told of daily, extreme pain.

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