Takoma Wellness Center opened its doors on August 1, 2013, in memory of our founder Stephanie Kahn’s parents, Jules and Libby Reifkind. The Reifkinds grew up in Washington DC and lived a few blocks from what would later become Takoma Wellness Center.
Jules attended Whittier Elementary and Coolidge HS and eventually met and married Libby Kramer, his high school sweetheart, in 1952.
Jules was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the early 1960s and spent years looking for relief, as no medication could help him.
In the early 1970s, one of Jules’ doctors suggested he try cannabis. He was reluctant since, at the time, cannabis was viewed negatively. Still, Jules accepted his doctor’s recommendation, and to his surprise, he found cannabis helped relieve his nerve pain and muscle spasms and improved his quality of life.
Cannabis was challenging to find, but Jules consumed it when he could until his passing in 2005. Unfortunately, within four years of Jules’ passing, Libby was diagnosed with cancer. Her doctor recommended cannabis to address her severe lack of appetite, but prohibition made access challenging.
A short time later, DC voted to legalize medical cannabis. The Kahn family could think of no better way to honor Jules’ and Libby’s memory than by opening a medical dispensary in their honor.
They envisioned a comfortable retail environment where folks like Stephanie’s parents could access this beneficial but historically misunderstood plant. The Kahn’s enlisted their son Josh to help Takoma Wellness Center open its doors.
Today, Takoma Wellness Center is recognized as Washington DCs first and longest continually operating dispensary. The story of medical cannabis in our city is personal to us – it’s also our family story. A corporation does not own us, and we don’t have a corporate mindset. We want to give you the best experience possible as we carry Stephanie Kahn’s parents’ legacy.
We’re not about the money; we’re here to help our community members.