With about a dozen people on hand, Chicago’s first medical marijuana dispensary opened its doors in Uptown on Wednesday.

“We’ve been working so hard for so long,” co-owner Zachary Zises told RedEye before the 11 a.m. opening of Dispensary 33 at 5001 N. Clark St.

It’s among a handful of dispensaries that have opened statewide in recent weeks, two years after state lawmakers approved a medical marijuana program.

Only registered medical marijuana patients will be able to get past the waiting room area to the retail area, he said.

”When they come into the facility, they can expect to have access to as much time as they need and as much resources and expertise we have,” said Zises, formerly a commodities trader.

Dispensary 33 carries just marijuana for now, but Zises expects to have extracts and edibles in a few weeks. [Read more at RedEye Chicago]