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CHICAGO, Aug. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Columbia Care one of the nation's leading medical cannabis companies, announced today that it will open its first Illinois dispensary in Chicago to qualifying patients on September 6^th, 2016. Located in Jefferson Park at 4758 N. Milwaukee Avenue, the company will celebrate this opening today with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at 10:30am and an open house event at 3pm.

Columbia Care will host a three-day open house, where members of the community are welcome to take a tour and meet the staff prior to the dispensary's opening on September 6^th at 1pm. All qualified patients who visit the dispensary during the open house (August 25^th-27^th) can pre-register for this facility and will be eligible to receive an exclusive voucher to use for their first purchase. 

"We are proud and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Illinois program, serve the patients of the Chicagoland area and to be welcomed to Jefferson Park as a member of the community," said Columbia Care's Chief Executive Officer, Nicholas Vita. "We look forward to offering compassionate and safe care, as well as access to our wide assortment of medical-grade cannabis products."

"Our dispensary represents an important milestone for Columbia Care that was made possible by the support from the Governor, the legislature, IDPFR, IDPH, the City of Chicago, Alderman Arena and our neighbors," Mr. Vita said. "Opening in the Illinois, New York and Massachusetts markets over the past several months is a remarkable accomplishment. The Columbia Care team is proud to see its hard work come to fruition."

Columbia Care's expansion into Chicago follows the Company's opening of Boston's first and only medical marijuana dispensary earlier this month, and positions Columbia Care as a leader operating in the nation's largest cities, including New York, Washington, D.C. and Phoenix.  

Consistent with the company's national, medically-focused operating model, Columbia Care's Chicago dispensary was designed with patient comfort and safety in mind. The facility will be staffed by a dedicated team trained to provide the highest level of professionalism, compassion, confidentiality and respect for patients and their conditions.  The dispensary is accessible by train via the Blue line and UP-NW line to the Jefferson Park Transit Center, and by bus via the 46 or 81 routes to the cross streets of Lawrence and Milwaukee Avenue, and the 56 route to the cross streets of  Milwaukee Avenue and Giddings St. All aspects of safety and security will be provided by professionals with law enforcement backgrounds utilizing industry-leading security measures.  

To access state-licensed facilities, patients must be deemed eligible by a certified physician and undergo a fingerprint background check, which Columbia Care will help facilitate on-site upon request. Patients must be registered with the State through the Department of Public Health at a dispensary of their choice, but following Columbia Care's Chicago facility's official opening on September 6^th, existing registrants can easily transfer to the facility by completing a medical cannabis dispensary election form available through the IDPH or on Columbia Care's website at http://col-careil.com/transfer-columbia-care/. Beginning September 6^th, registered patients may visit our Chicago facility from 1pm to 6pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Patients are encouraged to visit Columbia Care online at www.col-careil.com, www.col-care.com  or call 312-948-9082 with any questions.

As is the case at all Columbia Care facilities nationwide, a variety of product formats and formulations will be available for purchase, including cured leaf from numerous strains, infused edible products and concentrates. Columbia Care expects to expand this offering by the end of Q1 2017 to include a dosable line of sub-lingual tinctures, concentrates for vaporization and orally ingested capsules.

In order to serve patients at the facility's opening, products offered in Columbia Care's Chicago dispensary will be supplied by trusted third-party growers based exclusively in Illinois. All products will undergo independent batch testing to ensure the highest levels of purity. Columbia Care expects it will begin supplying the Chicago dispensary with additional products grown at its own cultivation facility in Aurora, Illinois in 2017.

For more information on the Illinois Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program, including information on how to register, please visit http://www.dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/prevention-wellness/medical-cannabis.

About Columbia Care LLC

Columbia Care is one of the nation's largest and most experienced manufacturers and providers of medical cannabis products and services. The company is licensed in highly selective and regulated jurisdictions and has completed more than 300,000 successful patient interactions since its inception.  Founded by two former Goldman Sachs executives, and working in collaboration with some of the most renowned and innovative teaching hospitals and medical centers in the country, Columbia Care is a patient-centered healthcare company setting the standards for compassion, professionalism, quality, caring, and innovation for a burgeoning new industry.

For more information on Columbia Care, please visit www.col-care.com.

SOURCE Columbia Care