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Wintersville medical marijuana dispensary owner named ‘rising star of cannabis’

PETRELLA

WINTERSVILLE — At only 28 years old, local businessman Michael Petrella may be the youngest sole owner of a medical marijuana dispensary in the country, according to Marijuana Venture Magazine, which chose to feature him in its “40 under 40 Rising: Stars of Cannabis” issue.

“They said I am one of, if not the, youngest single owners in the country,” Petrella said.

When Petrella, who is the owner and CEO of Ohio Valley Natural Relief, was first approached about the magazine, he said he was skeptical. “They called on our land (phone) line,” he said. “I thought it was a joke at first. I told them to send it in an e-mail and then they did.”

Petrella said the magazine told him the fact he was one of the youngest business owners was only one of the things that caught the writer’s eye. He said they were impressed that Petrella, who actually was awarded his license at 26, was one of the first in the state of Ohio and one of the only independent owners.

“I was one of the only local ones,” he said.

He said his journey to become an owner and advocate of the medical benefits of the drug started while his father was fighting cancer. Petrella said his father was allergic to many narcotics and suffered serious side effects from others. Petrella wanted to find a safe alternative for his father.

“I watched the pain and suffering my father went through during his battle with Stage 4 cancer. That experience inspired me to pursue this license and to find alternative methods to help provide relief for those suffering with chronic illness and pain,” he said in a previous interview.

Petrella said when the magazine heard his story they found it compelling.

Another thing that the magazine found interesting is that Petrella is also one of the few in the field who has never experienced the drug’s benefits personally.

He said is his younger days in addition to being illegal, it never appealed to him and now “he doesn’t have a qualifying illness.”

Petrella said the products sold in his store are all tested for quality and symptom relief, and his staff are all trained and qualified professionals.

He said he sees the positive side of the industry every day and is happy to be a part of that.

“There is a really positive attitude,” he said. “A lot of people that never tried it have, and they like it. They are weaning themselves off of narcotics. We see a lot of people that are really ill and looking for a better quality of life.”

The next venture for OVNR is CBD products which offer similar symptom relief but without the “high.”

Petrella said people need to be careful with the CBD market and understand what they are getting.

“CBD built up so fast there are no laws (in production and testing) so you don’t know what you are getting,” he said.

CBD can be derived from either a hemp plant or a marijuana plant. The CBD to be sold at OVNR will be derived from the marijuana plant. Petrella said it will still require a medical marijuana card, but it will be held to the same standards as his other products.

Petrella said he was honored to be chosen by the magazine and plans to keep moving forward.

“We are going to keep working hard,” he said.

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