Cannabis dispensary here to devote Mondays to medical patients only

Hoping to redirect some of their customer focus, Collinsville and Springfield cannabis dispensaries will only serve medical cannabis patients on Mondays of each week starting Jan. 20.

Illinois Supply and Provisions — which is operating under the name HCI Alternatives until Jan 27 — has announced it will only serve medical patients at its Collinsville and Springfield dispensaries on Mondays of each week in 2020. The decision to install “Medical Mondays” will allow dispensary staff to give its more 6,000 medical patients “the hyper focused attention they deserve,” the company said in a statement.

“Working with our medical patients has and will always be a core mission and that doesn’t stop because we now have the ability to serve adult-use customers.  Dedicating a day to work solely with our patients is the right thing to do for everyone,” said IS&P Chief Retail Officer Kim Kiefer.

IS&P, owned by Ascend Wellness Holdings, temporarily halted adult-use cannabis sales on Monday, Jan. 13 for the first time since recreational sales were made legal on Jan. 1, citing inventory and regrouping measures.

“It really worked well, not only for our medical patients who didn’t have to deal with big crowds and lack of parking, but also for our staff who were able to focus their efforts on patients and training new employees,” said AWH Regional Director Kathleen Olivastro.

Halting adult-use sales on Mondays will also allow the dispensaries to manage adult-use inventory with a lack of short term supply expected to continue for several more months.  IS&P will also continue to offer a limited selection of products and invoke purchase limits based on daily supply and demand to its adult-use customers.

“This is a learning process and we will continue to make adjustments that are in the best interests of both our medical patients and adult-use customers until we find our new normal.  We appreciate all of our patients and customers that continue to put their trust in us to serve them,” said AWH Founder Abner Kurtin.

Customers can check the latest product information, store hours and more at www.illinoissandp.com.

File photo of crowds on day of opening in Collinsville.