Remedy Shoppe in Skagway was the first dispensary to receive its operating license in Alaska. The license was issued on October 4, 2016 to owner Tara Bass. The issue at the time was Remedy Shoppe had no cultivation license and thus, no product to sell. Product was received and the dispensary officially opened for business on January 20, 2017. Skagway resident Jacob Cotton was the very first customer.
Rise Medical Marijuana dispensary in Lorain, Ohio is owned by Green Thumb Industries or GTI Ohio LLC. GTI is a large Chicago based cultivator and retail operator. GTI currently operates 5 dispensaries in Ohio and 31 dispensaries in 9 states under the Rise brand.
Green Thumb Industries is run by founder and CEO Ben Kovler and CFO Anthony Georgiadis. GTI cultivates, manufactures and distributes cannabis products under the brands Beboe, Dogwalkers, Dr. Solomon’s, Good Green, incredibles and Rythm. The company also owns and operates rapidly growing national retail cannabis stores called Rise. The company runs 16 manufacturing facilities, 66 open retail locations and operations across 14 U.S. markets.
The company came under scrutiny for being involved in a federal pay-to-play investigation in March 2021.
Northern Lights Indoor Gardens is a dispensary located in Sitka, AK. It opened in February 2017 and is owned by Michael and Lorraine Daly.
NLIG is somewhat unique in that they only sell cannabis that is cultivated by them in their Sitka cultivation facility. They have been cultivating for several decades before opening their retail location.
Even if you’ve never heard of the Firelands Scientific dispensary in Huron, you’ve likely seen the brand if you are an Ohio medical marijuana card holder. Firelands Scientific is one of the most cutting-edge cannabis cultivation and processing facilities in the state. The company was the producer of the first legal cannabis product sold in Ohio in January 2019.
The company also owns and operates a single dispensary located in Huron, OH. It was the 53rd dispensary to open in Ohio with an opening date of May 21, 2021.
Firelands was founded in 2017 by current CEO Jeff McCourt. McCourt, an attorney, has a mother who suffers from severe rheumatoid arthritis.
In October 2020, the company was certified as a B Corporation, joining brands like Patagonia and Ben & Jerry’s who are committed to doing business for good.
Pakalolo Supply holds the distinction as the first company licensed by the state of Alaska for marijuana cultivation. Pakalolo is owned by the Hollister family and operates a 20,000 square foot cultivation and retail location in Fairbanks, as well as a dispensary in Anchorage.
Pakalolo is the Hawaiian word for cannabis. The Hollister’s have lifelong ties to the island and both their dispensaries are Hawaiian themed.
The company made headlines in Alaska on October 28, 2016 when they made the first legal marijuana sale. The event was even more special because co-owner Tyler Hollister made the sale to his friend and cancer survivor Mike Pokrivnak.
