Nearly four years after medical marijuana was legalized in Massachusetts, Boston's first medical marijuana dispensary opened Wednesday on Milk Street where downtown morphs into the financial district
There is no sign outside. Only a green awning that reads "21 Milk Street".
21 Milk Street – the seventh dispensary to open in the state – is run by Patriot Care, which also owns another facility in Lowell.
In a public statement, Patriot Care said that they will offer a “variety of product formats and formulations…including cured leaf from numerous strains, infused edible products, and concentrates.”
The dispensary will also offer a delivery service once, “the patient registration process and patient consultation have been completed on site.”
Patriot Care is a subsidiary of Columbia Care, which sells medical marijuana in five other states. Columbia Care CEO Nicholas Vita was on hand at the kick off, saying: “The opening of the Boston location is really an amazing development for the company and for the country. Because this is a highly regulated medically focused program where patients are going to be able to buy pharmaceutical grade products.”
In February, Fortune magazine estimated the annual sale of medical marijuana to be worth at least $6.7 billion.
Noting the difficulties necessary to get the proper licensing for the dispensary, Patriot Care CEO Robert Mayerson detailed his approach: “We went through the process first to get the conditional use permit which would allow us to be in this location and in this facility. That involved a lot of education, meeting with stakeholders, whether its community leaders, government officials, or neighborhood groups. We met with everybody and anybody who wanted to meet with us to talk about what we are all about...It was a multi-step process and we’re so gratified today to be here to start serving patients in Boston."
Some neighboring businesses have worried that a pot distributor would bring drug dealing back to the area. But, Michael Killory of Ogawa Coffee expects the dispensary could actually bring in more customers.
“Do I think [the dispensary] is going to make large impact here at the coffee shop? I don't think so, but I do think that generally it is positive for the local businesses around the area,” Killroy said.
In hopes that the Marijuana Legalization Initiative passes on this year’s ballot, at least one passerby, Drew Guzowski of the North End, is looking forward to the possibility that he and his coworkers might be able to visit the dispensary due its proximity to their office.
“I mean we’re all young guys. I almost feel like there’s a generational gap that exists so if you’re someone who’s super old school and really drank the Kool-Aid maybe you wouldn’t like it but I work with a bunch of people under 40 so we’re all joking around about stopping here after work and going home," Guzowski said.
However, Patriot Care is clea that they will not be supplying recreational marijuana if the ballot measure is passed.
Open seven days a week, Patriot Care expects to serve more than a hundred patients each day.
