A Friend Indeed

The Fat Hippie, a medical cannabis dispensary, became Lincoln's newest business along Main Street Nov. 5, and celebrated their grand opening November 20.

Terry Lucke, owner of the establishment, had wanted to put a store in Lincoln for a couple of years, and the timing just worked out. The actual endeavor began about seven months ago when the space in the building became available. Originally slated to open in a different suite in the building at 425 Montana Highway 200, the larger space became available and renovations began to put the store into place.

Lucke, who had lived in Missoula working with heavy equipment and driving logging trucks, suffered injuries that left him in chronic pain. In 2006, he began using medical marijuana and found much relief. So much so that he opened a dispensary in Missoula. He says he hasn't taken any narcotic-based pain-killers in close to 15 years after discovering how much relief he received from medical marijuana.

In 2011 Lucke moved to Seeley Lake, where he realized how underserved small communities in Montana are when it comes to medical marijuana needs. "There are people who have needs in these places. It's not necessarily safe for elderly individuals or those suffering from various pain and illnesses to drive to the bigger cities to get what they need."

That gave him the idea to look at smaller towns where he could open additional stores to better serve the smaller communities. The Fat Hippie currently has stores in Seeley Lake, Fort Benton and most recently here in Lincoln.

The Fat Hippie has a large line of edible products and an extensive selection of concentrates, as well as the flower, in various strains bred specifically for different ailments. Some of the more popular strains are sativa and indica, which are also used to create hybrid products. Anyone can visit the store, but only those with a medical card can purchase the THC medical products. Medical cards can be obtained through a physician.

There are a lot of ailments that marijuana is used to treat. According to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services, those include cancer, glaucoma, chronic pain, Crohn's disease, epilepsy and other seizure disorders, hospice care and PTSD, which was recently added to the list. Prior to PTSD's inclusion, it wasn't a qualified condition but since then, they've seen veterans getting a lot of good out of it. To see the complete list of qualifying ailments, you can visit the State of Montana DPHHS website dphhs.mt.gov/marijuana.

The Fat Hippie also carries various CBD oils, creams, and gummies. A medical card is not required to purchase those items.

Lucke invites those with questions to get in contact with him. According to his website, he may even be able to recommend a doctor that will not judge or interrogate someone for asking about medical marijuana as a treatment option.

While the store has been very well received by patrons in the community, there have been some residents who have some concerns about a dispensary business here in Lincoln. Lucke wants to assure those folks that he and his store are here to help and to be a community resource.

"We're here to help those who need it and we don't stray out of the lines that the laws have laid out. We want to help adults who have some of the issues mentioned above and we're not here to sell to children at school, etc.," Lucke said."Our goal is to be a resource for the community and we're not here to hurt it. Additionally, I've made a substantial investment and see the benefits our product has to offer, and I don't intend to do anything to jeopardize that."

When asked about the initiative to legalize recreational marijuana for adults that was approved by voters in November, Lucke says it will now go to legislation where they will need to build a law around it. "I'm not exactly sure what that will look like, but I do know that this initiative and a new law will change things. We've always adapted and dealt with the changes as they come and this is no different."

Lucke believes the earliest implementation date of a new law surrounding this initiative would likely come about sometime in 2022. "We don't have any plans to go away, just move forward," he said.

If anyone has questions, Lucke welcomes folks to contact the Fat Hippie at 406-240-5356 or visit the store when he's there. Additional information is available on their website at http://www.fathippie.net, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FatHippieAFriendIndeed.