UPDATE: The dispensary opened on Monday, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Dina Titus.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Medical marijuana dispensaries are popping up all over the valley, but the newest to open its doors has an unlikely co-owner.
Retired Las Vegas police officer Dave Kallas spent years chasing down drug offenders, making thousands of arrests. If you had told him then that he'd own a legal medical marijuana dispensary, he wouldn't have believed you.
A serious medical diagnosis several years ago changed his mind.
"I had contracted an infectious disease that has no cure," says Kallas.
The disease has been painful, preventing Kallas from normal daily activities like walking upstairs, or even playing golf.
When medical marijuana was legalized in the state of Nevada, Kallas turned to his experience in the streets to help find a partner and a facility.
"It was just a gut feeling, just a feeling that these guys had character and integrity," says Kallas.
Apothecarium will open its doors, with Kallas planning on being one of its most loyal customers. As co-owner he says he still plans to continue to protect and to serve.
"I am continuing with that philosophy because we're protecting people from going places that they probably shouldn't be going, and we are serving our community because we're providing an outlet for those patients to get the best quality care that they can with this type of medication," says Kallas.
The Apothecarium will open its doors to customers Saturday at 11 a.m.
