The grass will soon look a little greener, and more plentiful, in Clarendon. Jushi Holdings Inc.—a Florida-based company founded in 2018 that cultivates, processes and dispenses cannabis products—has purchased the building at 2701 Wilson Boulevard that was previously occupied by a Comcast service center.
In the space, Jushi plans to open a Beyond/Hello medical cannabis dispensary, the first in Arlington.
The storefront will sell several brands, according to a Jushi spokesperson, including Jushi proprietary labels such as The Lab and Tasteology. Customers can buy products onsite or online through the Beyond/Hello website and pick them up at the dispensary; home delivery is also available for authorized patients.
Beyond/Hello has more than two dozen locations in five states, including two in Virginia: a Manassas outpost that opened in 2020 and another in Sterling that opened on Nov. 2. Jushi plans to open three more Virginia dispensaries in 2022, which would bring the total number of its dispensaries in the state to six. Each dispensary will include multiple point-of-sale stations to make checkout more efficient.
“[Customers] can expect a patient-centric retail experience and an industry-leading online platform,” the Jushi representative says.
The sale of the building at 2701 Wilson Boulevard was finalized on Friday, Nov. 5. Arlington Independent Media also occupies space in the building. Jushi says the community media center, which operates low-power FM station WERA 96.7, will be permitted to stay in the building.
Jushi says it chose the Clarendon location due to Arlington’s dense population and easy access to transit.
In April, Virginia became the first Southern state to legalize marijuana. As of July 1, 2021, adults age 21 and over may possess up to one ounce of cannabis, consume cannabis in their home and grow up to four cannabis plants per household. The legislation expanded on a 2020 measure decriminalizing marijuana; prior to the 2020 law, a first-time offense for marijuana possession could come with a $500 fine and/or a jail sentence of up to 30 days.
While the sale of marijuana for recreational purposes remains illegal until at least 2024, individuals with authorization can purchase cannabis for medicinal use. Virginia and Maryland are among 36 states that allow medical marijuana use, along with D.C. Five companies have been selected by the state of Virginia to operate medical cannabis dispensaries. Right now, four are in operation: Dharma Pharmaceuticals, LLC in Abingdon; Columbia Care Eastern Virginia, LLC in Portsmouth; Green Leaf Medical of Virginia, Inc. in Richmond; and Dalitso, LLC in Mananssas. Jushi owns Dalitso, LLC.
Beyond/Hello Arlington is slated to open some time in 2022.