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23 TheSouthShoreMagazine.com Marijuana Like a comic book superhero or the protagonist of a novel, every business has its origin story – how it all began and why. For Ermont, Inc., the nonprofit medical marijuana dispensary that I founded in West Quincy, the story stretches back to a tragic turning point in our nation's history. In 2001, I was living in New York City. I crunched numbers at a Fortune 500 company. My job wasn't in the Twin Towers, but I lived a few blocks away. The morning of September 11, I was running late for work and was still at home when the world turned upside down. Along with countless others, I found myself running through the streets in terror. In the midst of this chaos and confusion, I found a sliver of clarity. From that moment, I began searching for ways to use my financial skills to give back to society in a more direct way. I left my corporate job to work for a small event production firm that helped raise money for causes such as women's cancer and HIV/ AIDS. During my first year of employment, I bought the company and added causes such as multiple sclerosis, suicide prevention, Alzheimer's, intellectual disabilities and bone-marrow registry to our client list. Years went by until I finally realized I was still haunted by 9/11. I became dependent on sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication. I left New York for Los Angeles two years after the attack. It wasn't until 2010 that I sought out a medical marijuana recommendation. Fortunately, I was able to find relief in medical marijuana, which eased my post-traumatic stress in a more natural way. In the process, I eliminated my need for sleep and anti-anxiety medications. When people ask how I got into the medical marijuana business, I always tell them some version of this back story. I tell them it started out personal and became professional, and thus more meaningful, as I applied my financial background to my endeavor. Ermont opened in October 2016 as the first registered medical marijuana dispensary on the South Shore. We are located in the historic Quarry Hills section of West Quincy. One could describe our commercial building as nondescript, but what's inside is more important: a built-to-spec, high-quality, rigorously regulated cultivation and dispensary operation that fulfills the entire cannabis lifecycle, from seed to sale. We grow marijuana plants on site, a process that is closely monitored by our expert cultivators and tracked by state regulators. We distill cannabinoid oil using proprietary high-tech equipment and infuse our edible products in a full chef's kitchen. I'm proud to say that our edibles menu is the most creative and innovative of any dispensary in Massachusetts. Our talented staff is led by chefs hailing from Boston's thriving restaurant scene. For instance, you may have heard of our THC-infused pizza, inspired by the South Shore's legendary "bar pizza" recipe. To visit Ermont, you must have a valid patient or caregiver ID card issued by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), along with a photo ID such as a driver's license, military ID or passport. We designed our retail dispensary to be a safe and welcoming environment where our Patient Services Agents are dedicated to helping patients and caregivers understand the benefits and risks associated with medical marijuana. Four colorful images grace our wall with the words "relax," "relieve," "amplify," and "sleep" to illustrate how our products can be tailored to patients' needs. I am pleased that marijuana has come out of the shadows in Massachusetts, thanks in particular to the vast majority (63 percent) of people who voted in favor of the medical marijuana ballot initiative back in 2012. At the same time, I have no quarrel with those who disagree with the legalization movement. I respect their views. Part of my role, as I see it, is to clear up the remaining misconceptions about marijuana. I often do that simply by talking about the patients we serve. Their stories alone provide the power necessary to dispel stereotypes. One such story involved a regular patient who had always visited Ermont in his wheelchair – until the one day when he entered the dispensary using a walker. Our staff was amazed and the patient attributed his improvement to the use of medical marijuana. For Ermont employees, job satisfaction takes on a completely different meaning when that job is geared toward improving people's lives. Ermont, like the entire medical marijuana industry in Massachusetts, took years to develop. We have faced regulatory hurdles, financial challenges and operational obstacles, but we have always had a clear mission in mind: to serve the patients of the South Shore and elsewhere in the Commonwealth. Jack Hudson is the Founder & CEO of Ermont, Inc., a registered medical marijuana dispensary located in West Quincy. For more information, visit www.ermontinc.org.