Patients, distributors worry about access to medicine as cannabis dispensaries set to close Friday

All cannabis dispensaries in Kern County are expected to close their doors this Friday, May 24 after the Kern County Board of Supervisors voted it was the last day the shops could legally sell cannabis. For dispensary owners Russell and Jennifer Romandia, who own The Crop, there's an instant concern about how their more than 6,000 patients are going to get the medicine they need. "When it's taken away people are looking for an alternative. Whether that's going back to the opioids looking for the local you know source that doesn't have category three, state compliant medicine it's not a safe medicine." said Russell Romandia. County Supervisor and chairman David Couch said he feels bad that people may be losing access to their medicine, but said he believe they'll come back to the topic of medical cannabis eventually. He said he has had discussions with the staff about ways the county can regulate cannabis that he believes people would support.