Green Wellness, a new medical cannabis dispensary located in Vicksburg, had a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Vicksburg Warren Chamber of Commerce on Friday to celebrate its grand opening.

Owners and employees, along with chamber members and community leaders, were in attendance.

Mayor George Flaggs Jr. addressed the audience at the ceremony with his views about the new business.

“We believe that this is, not necessarily a cure-all, but we believe this is beginning to help with the wellness and the holistic part of the quality of life of human beings as it relates to health care in our state,” Flaggs said. “So we want to welcome you and thank you for being a part of this community and making an investment in this community.”

Warren County Board of Supervisors President Kelle Barfield spoke about how the opening of the new dispensary marks a change in how Mississippians view medical cannabis, and that she received many calls and messages from her constituents who were supportive of allowing medical cannabis dispensaries to open in Vicksburg.

“I was surprised at the amount of people that called me saying this was one way that they found peace of mind, freedom from their pain, and so forth (and) for their spouses. (They had a desire) for us to stay open-minded,” Barfield said. “So I know that different people have differing points of view, but I think it’s exciting to see such a new industry, a new business, a new way of treating ourselves holistically, as the mayor said, right here in Vicksburg.”

Patrick Hilton is one of the co-owners of the new business and had the honor of using the requisite oversized scissors to cut the ribbon. Green Wellness is owned by The Kush Spot, LLC, founded by Hilton, Wit Nguyen and George Reese. The dispensary is the first in Vicksburg to receive its license to operate and pass state requirements.

“I went to Jett Elementary School in Vicksburg, so it’s a very personal story being here,” Hilton said. “Ideally, our goal is to help all the people of Mississippi. People want options, they want hope for their future. Medical cannabis produces amazing results for many people, our voters recognized this so did our state legislatures.”

The new dispensary opened its doors for business on Jan. 28. It is located at 2314 Iowa Blvd., Suite 100, near Walmart.