APOLLO BEACH, Fla. -- Altmed Florida celebrated the grand opening of its first MUV medical cannabis dispensary in the state on Saturday in Apollo Beach.

  • First medical cannabis dispensary in the Bay Area
  • More than 1,100 patients are pre-registerd to get MUV's products
  • Next MUV dispensary to open in Saraosta

"It is our flagship location," said MUV spokesman Todd Beckwith. "Plants of Ruskin has a long history for almost 100 years here in the Apollo Beach area."

The Plants of Ruskin owners are fourth generation tomato farmers that began getting into the medical marijuana business under the Altmed Florida brand in 2014. The Apollo Beach location, at 5909 N. U.S. Highway 41, is the first of 25 dispensaries the company plans to open across Florida.

"The closest dispensary to the south would be in Bradenton and to the north up into the middle part of Tampa," Beckwith said. "So, this is an under served market, and we look forward to serving the Florida medical cannabis patients here."

Jaime Cruz, who suffers from some autoimmune issues that creates muscle spasticity, said she drove from Cape Coral to get a ‘Banana O.G.’ strain at the MUV dispensary that she can’t find anywhere else in Florida.

"It’s a strain that actually really provides a good muscle relaxation. So, it's very much worth the drive," Cruz said. "I'm very pleased they're open."

Beckwith said more than 1,100 patients pre-registered to be part of the MUV family to get their hands on some of Altmed Florida's exclusive award winning products.

"MUV has a number of unique products. Including, our meter dose inhaler… It allows patients to micro-dose and get a measured dose," he said. "In addition, we have the MUV evolve trans dermal gel that allows cannabis to actually get into the blood stream through a topical application."  

Next to the MUV dispensary is Altmed Florida's state-of-the-art 150,000 square-foot cultivation facility. Beckwith said they were able to get some very high quality flower from their very first harvest from seed.

"The science is about 35 percent (THC) is the max," he said. "We had a number of strains in our very first harvest that were from 28-to-31 percent."

Beckwith said the next MUV dispensary scheduled to open will be in Sarasota later this summer.