By Bill Parry
The borough will be getting its second medical marijuana facility in early summer.
Curaleaf New York announced plans to open a location near Austin Street in Forest Hills that will serve patients in Queens and surrounding boroughs suffering from chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, cancer and other conditions permitted under the state Department of Health’s medical marijuana program.
Cannabis-based products became legal under the state’s Compassionate Care Act, which was signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2014. Distribution of the medication is conducted according to a very strict protocol under the auspices of the state Board of Health.
Vireo Health of New York opened the Queens Patient Center near the Queens Center Mall in Elmhurst in January 2016. The Curaleaf New York dispensary will occupy a 3,000-square-foot ground floor space at 107-18 70th Road.
The site is centrally located between Queens Boulevard and Austin Street, and it was selected for its proximity to public transportation. It is directly off the Long Island Rail Road’s Forest Hills station and the Forest Hills-71st Avenue stop for the E, F, M, and R subway lines and the Q23 bus.
“After successful openings in Newburgh and Plattsburgh, we are thrilled to continue the expansion of New York’s medical marijuana program with our new dispensary in Queens,” said Michelle Bodner, president of PalliaTech NY, which operates the dispensaries under the brand name Curaleaf New York. “Our focus is on ensuring patients facing serious medical issues have access to these important treatments, and we look forward to opening our doors and helping those in need.”
The dispensary will be managed by a New York licensed pharmacist, and counselors will be on-site to help patients find the best treatments for their illnesses. Curaleaf New York offers medical cannabis products that are formulated to pharmaceutical standards and available in a variety of forms, including capsules, tablets, tinctures, oils and under-the-tongue strips. Curaleaf New York is also seeking approval to expand its offerings to include ground flower, transdermal patches and other new products.
PalliaTech NY LLC is based in New York City and is a subsidiary of PalliaTech Inc. The company has one of the largest medical marijuana operations in the country and holds licenses in 10 states operating under the Curaleaf brand name. For more information on Curaleaf NY, visit ny.cural
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
