KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/sun-Gazette
Verilife medical marijuana dispensary celebrates its opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday morning. The faciility is located at 2300 East Third Street in Loyalsock Tpwnship. From left to right at the robbin cuting are; Scott rinker, community lender Jersey Shore State Bank; Alex Poirer, branch manager First Community Bank; Taryn Mueller, marketing and membership coordinator Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce; Laurie Creveling, general manager Verilife; Jason Fink, president/CEO Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce; Steve Barger, district manager Verilife; Anthony Mielczarski, director of retail Verilife and Jamie Gallaspi, district manager Ohio Verilife.

Loyalsock Township has become the home to a Verilife business with the opening of one of its medical marijuana dispensaries.

“This is our fourth location in Pennsylvania,” Verilife District Manager Steve Barger said during ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the store Wednesday.

The goal of the business, he said, is to improve lives through cannabis.

Medical marijuana offers various benefits for the mind and body and can help people reduce and manage their symptoms.

To legally purchase medical marijuana, a person must be signed up with the state’s Medical Marijuana Program Registry and be certified by a Pennsylvania physician with having a serious medical condition

“We are adding close to 30 jobs here,” Barger said. “We look forward to being part of the community.”

Barger said he likes the store location’s at 2300 E. Third St.

“It’s a nice neighborhood. It’s easy access to the highway,” he said.

He noted the ample amount of parking at the store.

Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce President Jason Fink said the hiring of more than two dozen people is certainly a plus for the local area.

“It’s more job opportunities. We still have an unemployment rate here of almost 7 percent,” he said.

The store officially opened Wednesday.

Other Verilife sites in the state can be found in Shamokin, Philadelphia and Chester.