Medical marijuana dispensary to open in renovated Taco Bell

LONGWOOD, Fla. — At 10:30 A.M. on Friday May 24 a former Taco Bell just East of I-4 exit 94 will come back to life, serving not tacos, but medical cannabis.

The building, though repainted and re-branded, is still dressed in the familiar Spanish tiles that are characteristic of the fast food chain; the inside however has been completely redesigned with a sleekness reminiscent of an art gallery.

In a press release, AltMed recommends that to better understand the interior design philosophy, "think Apple store."

Todd Beckwith, Global Marketing Director for AltMed, explains:

“Part of our mission is to bring cannabis out of the shadows and legitimize it as a medicine, and part of doing so is being transparent in what we do.

As you can see, this is a high-end retail environment.

I want it to be as comfortable for my grandmother as it is for my friends to come in here.”

Joining the roof tiles in all that would hint to the building’s history is of course the drive through window, the second of its kind in a Floridan medical marijuana dispensary.

The window will not be operational at the dispensary’s grand opening on Friday, but AltMed plans to offer the service in the future.

When it is open, the drive through will not function in the same arbitrary way that it used to when the building dished out tacos in its former life.

It will instead serve as a way for patients who set a pick-up time online or over the phone to retrieve their purchases.

In this same fashion, the building itself is only open to valid patients who submit to a mild background check at the front desk; they will require an open recommendation by a medical professional before letting one walk around and browse.

Available products are designed to be used with proprietary hardware -- handheld vaporizers, disposable patches, and inhalers name just a few.

Offered medications will include flower, edibles, and a line of ethanol-extracted THC and CBD concentrates from shatter to crumble, even pre-activated terpene “sauce” that doesn’t require combustion to ingest.