The West Bank now has its own medical marijuana dispensary after NOLA Cannabis Co. opened a new location in Harvey on Friday. 

The new business at 1544 Manhattan Blvd. is the fifth dispensary for the New Orleans area, with a sixth location in the works on the 400 block of Bourbon Street. Other locations include Kenner, Metairie, South Carrollton Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street.

They are owned by two separate investor groups that operate under the brand name NOLA Cannabis Co. and are all managed by an arm of Good Day Farms, one of the state’s two licensed marijuana growers.

“We’re excited to bring NOLA Cannabis Company’s first West Bank location to a community with such a strong local identity and history,” Capt. Lee Jackson, who co-owns NOLA Cannabis as well as an offshore marine transportation company, said in a statement. 

H&W Acquisition Company LLC, a parent company to NOLA Cannabis, first purchased the former Walgreens building in 2024 for $3.4 million.

Louisiana granted just 10 medical marijuana retail licenses to pharmacies in 2022, with the option for operators to run up to three locations.

NOLA Cannabis Co. combines two licenses granted in the New Orleans area — for H&W Acquisition and Crescent City Therapeutics — under one brand name.

Patients can obtain a “recommendation,” the official term for a medical marijuana prescription, through licensed physicians, nurse practitioners and medical psychologists, including through telemedicine consultations.

NOLA Cannabis dispensaries offer their own options for customers to connect with an online telehealth provider, who can assess their need for a prescription and issue one within about 20 minutes.

The number of medical marijuana patients in the state has more than doubled in the past two years, with nearly 150,000 Louisiana residents enrolled as of early this year.

“We want patients to feel comfortable, informed and supported,” said James Williams, another co-owner. “Our goal is to provide safe, reliable medical marijuana products at a variety of price points while helping patients better understand the diverse products available within Louisiana’s regulated medical marijuana program.”

The new 14,500-square-foot dispensary includes a retail space, online ordering, delivery and drive-thru services, open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Products include cannabis flower, pre-rolls, gummies, concentrates, tinctures, vapes and other forms of marijuana with a prescription.