SF Dispensary Reemerges After 2011 Forced Shutdown

From bricks and mortar to wheels and then back to bricks and mortar again.

That’s the story of Medithrive, which started in 2009 as a dispensary in San Francisco’s Mission District but was shut down in 2011 by federal authorities and remade itself as a delivery service. Now, Medithrive is going back to its roots and will reopen as a dispensary later this month, according to Missionlocal.com.

Before being shuttered five years ago, Medithrive had 26,000 patients and employed 17 people, according to SF Gate. It will occupy the same storefront as before, but is remodeling to give it a “sleek” feel, said manager Jeff Linden.

The resurgence of the cannabis industry over the past few years is what’s allowed Medithrive to make a comeback, including the resignation of former U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag last year. Haag spearheaded an immense anti-cannabis crackdown by the U.S. Attorney’s office in northern California, including sending a cease-and-desist letter to Medithrive’s landlord in 2011.

But the winds have shifted since five years ago, with recreational legalization practically right around the corner in California and several other states later this year.

“One of our attorneys equated the risk of reopening to being less than the risk of getting on an airplane, so we felt pretty good about that,” Linden said.