The Louisiana Pharmacy Board has selected H & W Drug Store, Inc. as the first medical marijuana dispensary in New Orleans. The new dispensary, in addition to two stores already in New Orleans East and on the Westbank, will be located in a strip mall at 4718 Paris Ave. in Gentilly.
H&W competed against four other companies, where Rx Greenhouse was initially in the lead, but raised concern with the subcommittee due to its location near an indoor playground. H & W ranked fourth in comparison to Rx, GNO Medical Dispensary, P&C Herbals, and Express Way Pharmacy.
H&W owner and pharmacist Ruston Henry joined his brother Troy Henry at a hearing Tuesday to prove his pharmacy as the ideal dispensary to the board. Henry mentioned his long-time involvement in the community through his father’s business, which was passed down, and also discussed the convenience of the location — which will be near the interstate, other stores, and NOPD. The nine board members voted unanimously in his favor.
Both Southern University and Louisiana State University have hired vendors to produce the marijuana, and the dispensary, by state law, will only be able to sell it in pill, topical cream, or oil form. It cannot be sold in any way that can be smoked, and patients must receive documentation from a doctor to access it.
