American talk show host Montel Williams has opened a pharmacy in California to dispense medical marijuana.
The star suffers from multiple sclerosis and is a longtime campaigner for cannabis to be used as a pain relief medicine.
The practise is legal in California and Williams has now launched his own dispensary, the Albatin Wellness Cooperative, in Sacramento to provide patients with access to the drug. The process is strictly regulated and Williams hopes the new centre will help cast aside the stigma of medical marijuana use.
He tells The Sacramento Bee, "We've been caught up in culture surrounding medical marijuana that's 20 years old. While adhering to every single state law, we want to provide safe access for patients and really medicalise this. Patients should be put first... I want this to be someplace your mother and father could see themselves walk into."