(Independent Photo/Graham Sturgeon)
by Graham Sturgeon, co-editor
The River Provisioning, a licensed provisioning center allowed under Michigan’s Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act, opened in Chesaning on Monday, Feb. 26. The River Provisioning is owned and operated by Scott Rais, and is staffed by knowledgeable, professional bud tenders. The center provides medicinal marijuana products to patients who are licensed by the state and have obtained medical approval from a physician.
The River offers medicinal products to treat many ailments, from crones disease to arthritis to PTSD to shingles. By isolating the different elements of the marijuana plant, such as THC, CBD and CBN to name a few, the center has a product to treat nearly any pain-related or nausea-inducing malady. And since many patients do not prefer to ingest smokable marijuana, The River offers products such as topical ointments, orally-ingested tinctures, edibles, concentrates and capsules, among others, as well as the traditional smokable flower.
In an effort to ease any fears local residents may have harbored, The River Provisioning held a two-day open house on Friday, Feb. 16 and Saturday, Feb. 17 to allow curious neighbors to explore the center and question the staff. Rais reports that the turnout was better than expected, and visitors were quite impressed with the professionalism of the operation. Since opening on Feb. 26, patients have expressed to Rais how excited they are to have access to safe medications, all of which are tested prior to being sold.
The River Provisioning is located at 101 N. Front St. in downtown Chesaning, in the building that formerly housed Dollar Daze. The center utilizes one of the building’s five units, and Rais is currently accepting lease applications for the remaining four units. He has shared that The River will likely need to hire additional staff as business picks up over the course of the coming months.
Gathered on Friday, Feb. 16 during the open house are (from left) assistant managers Kathy Majewski and Dan Ivers, office manager Shimonie Rais, owner Scott Rais, and bud tender Susan Bollman. Not pictured are Amanda Wright, Randi Sedlar and Eric Roman.
