BUFFALO, N.Y. — The growth of legalized cannabis is something the entire state has had its eyes closely on for years now. And with different shops opening and closing, there's some concern about accessibility. Spectrum News 1 hit the road to take a look at just what this means for those who want and, in some cases, need their marijuana.

Big differences between the shops that may be more readily available in recreational dispensaries or the much-needed medical side are the cost, strength and array of products. Whether you sit down with a shop owner, a patient or one of those pharmacists that come with a medical shop visit, just being able to access information and resources can't be underestimated.

"We started off actually at Medmen, which was at Main [Street] and Transit [Road]. They closed, and then we went to The Botanist, and now we found out they closed. So this is the only place left in our area that we could get medical marijuana," said Joan LoCurto, visiting Verilife in Amherst, a manageable drive from her home in Western New York.

In Erie County, there's just shy of a million residents and now just one medical dispensary. 

According to the state Office of Cannabis Management, 40% of patients report difficulty accessing a medical shop. Almost half get to travel less than a half an hour, the next 35% have to trek between a half hour and the full hour and 8% have to go one to two hours one-way just to get their scripts filled.

Verilife is the only medical dispensary left in Erie County and they recognize it comes with benefits.

"Distinctly, we don't add that extra 13% that gets placed on non-medical sales of cannabis," said Amherst location's general manager Adam Stumpf.

They also understand that their role goes way beyond having a dedicated pharmacist on hand during all operating hours. 

"So, many patients will find, or general consumers of cannabis will find, that the cost of a medical certification can easily be met by the savings," he added. "So often patients coming in for medical cannabis have pursued some other form of medical intervention to whatever they may be dealing with."

LoCurto and her friend Jan Lochner have always played by the rules, but shops like these have opened up their medical options in recent years.

"I was on opioids for a bad back, and as soon as the medical marijuana option became available, I was game right [away] and that's what I did,” said Lochner. “It's helped tremendously."

"We were prescribed for medical issues. I have fibromyalgia [and] I have arthritis, pretty bad arthritis," LoCurto said. "So this helps without having to use pain medicine. So it's very important." 

The fact that this is their only local medical grade shop works for them as they can get around, but they'd like to see everyone have that access to critical information.

"Speaking with the pharmacists was tremendous because they want to know what you're already on, so there's no interaction or pacing, if you are taking other medication [for] high blood pressure or whatever," LoCurto said.

In the meantime, the role that recreational dispensaries will play with a struggle to get to medical shops is vital.

"The medicinal dispensaries have created a lot of knowledge and put out a lot of knowledge out there and help people become more knowledgeable about cannabis," said Public Flower Adult Use Dispensary owner Sheldon Anderson. 

Anderson opened up one of the first handful of shops in downtown Buffalo, and says enough people have started their journey with the medical shops that they'll likely see their clientele and part of addressing the issue at hand, grow.

"To be honest with you, even before this change happened, there were people who came in and said, ‘yeah, we normally get this product from a medical dispensary,’" he said. "They either didn't have it or they didn't have the strength they were looking for, and they actually came to us. It's not as formal. But we offer a lot of information about the products and a lot of details about the products, and people can shop online and learn about what's offered."

In the meantime, New York state says it's committed to ensuring access to medical marijuana and is supporting registered organizations that prioritize affordable, sustainable and culturally competent services.

"We certainly don't take for granted what it means to be able to continue to operate within the medical space, which is steeped in the idea of ensuring patient access, whether that be through financial means or product availability, and those will all be things that guide our efforts moving forward," said Stumpf.