Downtown Reno’s first medical marijuana dispensary

This story originally appeared in NNBW on Aug. 8

The corner of Lake and East Second Street in Downtown Reno is getting a new view once MYNT opens

The business at 132 East Second Street will be the first medical marijuana dispensary in Downtown Reno.

“Our anticipated opening date will be mid November,” Scott Dunseath said in a phone interview at the end of July.

“We have approved use of that space,” he said.

“Now it is just a matter of getting all our permitting and architectural plans approved through the city,” Dunseath explained.

“So, once we get the plans approved then we will just be working diligently to build out the inside and then to landscape the outside and really turn it into a beautiful property that has really been blighted and underserved for the last decade.”

Patient access, among other variables, peaked MYNT’s interest in the downtown corridor.

“When you look at that location about patient access, ease of access, it is about two blocks from the bus station, close proximity to major hospitals and easy access from I-80,” Dunseath explained as reasons they chose the location.

“For us it is an opportunity to invest in Reno, specifically downtown and the Riverwalk,” he said. “Our intention was always sort of to be in that pocket.”

With an interest to serve the downtown population, the target population for MYNT, the location makes sense. The 3,000-square-foot building has 16 parking spots making access for patients easy.

Another reason MYNT was interested in downtown is due to Nevada’s reciprocity laws. Meaning a medical marijuana cardholder from another state can acquire medicine from a dispensary in Nevada.

“One really cool thing about Nevada is that we have reciprocity,” Dunseath explained. He outlined an example of patients who come to downtown Reno or are staying downtown and need medicine within walking distance.

Recreational use is a secondary thought for MYNT.

It’s “certainly a great location for us if it goes recreational. However, if it doesn’t pass we are happy treating just the patients in the downtown corridor,” he said.

“Our whole philosophy, especially with our product line is very medicinal, very patient focus and oriented,” Dunseath explained.

Washoe Wellness covers cultivation and production with Tahoe Reno Extractions and Tahoe Reno Botanicals. They partnered with Strainz forming Kynd-Strainz, which brings the history to MYNT, Reno’s first and only downtown dispensary.

In addition to extraction, botanicals and the dispensary, Washoe Wellness also has KYND, its own brand of cannabis.

Strainz also has a product line and both KYND and Strainz will be sold in the MYNT dispensary.

“We will certainly bring in other brands and other products from top producers and cultivators in Nevada,” Dunseath said.

All purchasing in Nevada must be through Nevada licensed Medical Marijuana Extraction (MME) because of the way the law is written, meaning, “Everything we will be selling at the dispensary will be locally grown or produced,” he explained.

“On the dispensary side we are strictly in northern Nevada with MYNT, but our brand KYND is in both southern and northern Nevada,” Dunseath added. He estimated about eight locations having KYND in southern and four in northern.

“One of the unique things about our team, is all the owners and founders are Nevadans,” Dunseath said. “We are all local.”

Looking forward, there will be another MYNT location in Lemmon Valley.

“We are focusing on downtown right now, once it is up and running we will shift our attention to Lemmon Valley,” Dunseath said.

Dunseath said regarding competition among medical dispensaries in Nevada that “we are starting this industry together.” He explained that everybody in the industry wants to see the industry succeed as a whole.

“I certainly think the market is big enough, without question,” he said. “The market has taken longer to ramp up, partially due to patient community growth.

“Regardless, it is going in the right direction,” he said.

To learn more about Washoe Wellness, visit www.washoewellness.com and for more information about MYNT, visit their Facebook page.