25 February 2021
Cassville, MO - Cassville Dispensary, a patients-over-profits model medical cannabis dispensary in southwest Missouri, gave out over $34,000 in discounts to patients in need in 2020. The dispensary provides relief to low income patients, veterans, senior citizens, terminally ill and special circumstance patients through a variety of programs to help make their cannabis medicine affordable.
Dr. Lisa Roark, MD, owner and medical director of Cassville Dispensary, said, “My dream was to open a medical cannabis dispensary that would take care of patients over everything else. This shows the hard work and dedication of all of our staff at the dispensary and how much we care about our patients. I’m incredibly proud of the work we are doing.”
Cassville Dispensary was one of the first medical cannabis dispensaries open in the state of Missouri. The dispensary opened to the public on September 28 and began carrying cannabis THC products on October 29.
Cassville Dispensary General Manager Charlea Estes-Jones said, “With only being open with cannabis products beginning October 29, we are incredibly proud of the discounts we’ve been able to provide patients on top of our already low prices. Over $34,000 in just over two months of being open is an incredible amount, and we are proud to show patients we are here to take care of them in any way we can. We are all proud of the work we are doing here.”
General discounts for patients visiting Cassville Dispensary include 10 percent off everything in the store for low income patients, senior citizens, healthcare workers and educators, and military/veterans day in and out. Any patient under care for a terminal illness gets an automatic 20 percent off, and patients under special life circumstances, like those caring for a sick child or someone who recently lost their job, can qualify for additional discounts under the dispensary’s Bridging the Gap compassion program. Bridging the Gap patients’ discounts are determined by management after financial hardship is proven through an application process.
Staff also provide free educational consults with nurses, free cultivation consultations and advice, and patient education journals to medical marijuana patients six days a week. The all-encompassing mission to help patients in whatever way they need is one of the beacons of success for the dispensary.
General discounts made up over $31,000 in aid offered to patients at the dispensary. The remaining $3,000 was raised through Cassville Dispensary’s Angel Tree Program for a family in need during December.
Estes-Jones said, “We offered competitive discounts in December for patients who donated cash or gifts toward our Angel Tree Program. It was a win-win for both patients and the family nominated this year to receive help during the holiday season.” It was the partnership of the dispensary and patients that made the Angel Tree Program possible.
This year’s Angel Tree family was Jailee Mitchell and her parents, John and Beverly, of Washburn. Jailee suffered a severe traumatic brain injury in 2019 when her four-wheeler crashed in rural Washburn. Jailee’s family was open about the importance of cannabis in her healing journey.
Through the Angel Tree program, Cassville Dispensary was able to provide everything on the family’s Christmas list as well as over $1,800 in a fund to pay for Jailee’s cannabis.
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Moving forward, Cassville Dispensary will continue discount programs for patients in need and is pursing various non-profit partnerships to make sure patients in need continue to get the help they deserve in paying for their cannabis medicine. Dr. Roark provides unlimited free medical marijuana telehealth appointments for any patient certified through Ayden’s Alliance at her clinic Roark Family Health, as well. In 2020, Roark Family Health did $11,300 in free certifications for Ayden’s Alliance patients.
Dispensary management and nurses also donate all of their tips to a low income patient fund which is held on site in the event a patient needs assistance with their purchase that day.
Cassville Dispensary is located at 15335 State Highway 76 in Cassville, phone (417) 665-1990. Their website is CassvilleDispensary.com and their menu is available for online orders and drive through pickup. They are also on Facebook. Cassville Dispensary is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, drive through available 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
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