JACKSON TWP — Butler County residents seeking relief from painful ailments, but who seek to avoid opioids, had much to celebrate this week as the county's second medical marijuana dispensary opened Tuesday near Zelienople.

“It's been amazing what I've been able to do with the medicine from here,” said Jack, who didn't want his last name published and was one of 10 people lined up and waiting for the clock to strike 10 a.m. on opening day outside the new Solevo Wellness medical marijuana dispensary.

Jack said that he has been using medical marijuana since March 9 to wean himself off medication that he took previously for back and shoulder pain. He previously shopped at a Solevo dispensary in Pittsburgh, but the new site is closer, he said.

“You know, the opioid epidemic out here is stupid crazy with people dying,” he said. “Personally, I never went down that road with crazy addiction, I just got in with a bad doctor. My sister, on the other hand, she's lost in the sauce somewhere.”

Jack added that he has seen how medical marijuana use “is helping people every day” with such conditions as heartburn, and he has followed the use of alternative medicine on social media. “It's still progressive and expensive,” he said. “But if you have the money, it's the way to go. It's natural — there's nothing bad about it.”

Jack said that marijuana works for him and he hopes the stigma of its use is soon a thing of the past.

“It's so much better than something that's made in a lab (where) they just throw stuff together,” he said. “When OxyContin came out, it was supposed to be non-addictive, you know?”

Jason Leo, who previously was a patient at the Squirrel Hill location, said the new Solevo store is also closer to his home. He said he's been using medical marijuana for “about five or six months now, and it's great.” Leo said he hopes everything goes smoothly for the dispensary.

One woman who preferred to remain anonymous and has used medical marijuana for chronic pain for years said the new store's location makes it easier for her to treat her condition.

“I don't like going all the way to Pittsburgh,” she said. “I don't like going all the way to Butler. I live here.”

She said she visited Butler's Cresco Yeltrah dispensary on its opening day. This new location is more convenient, she said. Solevo's dispensary is at 22095 Route 19, Suite 301, near Zelienople. The company also has a dispensary in Squirrel Hill and will debut a site in December in Greensburg.