Massachusetts voters legalized recreational marijuana use for adults in 2016. Since then, retail marijuana stores have opened across the state, including a handful of stores on the South Shore.
The first local retail store to open in August 2020 was Rockland’s CannaVana. The State Cannabis Control Commission states that there are eight recreational marijuana retailers between Quincy and Plymouth. That number will increase this fall when Quincy Cannabis Co. opens at the Fore River Bridge roundabout. It will be the city’s first recreational pot store.
Shops on the south bank
Flower & Soul, 849 Plymouth St., Halifax
ZenLeaf, 11 Richards Road, Plymouth and 2 Merchant St, Sharon
Triple M, 9 Collins Ave., Plymouth
South Shore Buds, 985 Plain St., Marshfield
CannaVana, 256 Weymouth Street, Rockland
Health Circle, 21 Commerce Road, Rockland
Bud’s Goods and Supplies, 1540 Bedford St., Abington
Just the facts please
Massachusetts cities and towns can receive up to 3% of a store’s total profits when negotiated through a community agreement with hosts.
Massachusetts had $3 billion in recreational cannabis sales that year.
As with alcohol, you must be at least 21 years of age to purchase pot from a retail outlet.
You can only carry up to 1 ounce at a time.
You may not smoke, vape, or eat marijuana in public.
New cannabis law
New cannabis regulations come after Governor Charlie Baker last month signed into law a series of reforms that will shake up the multibillion-dollar marijuana industry. The changes include better oversight of host community agreements that businesses must enter into with municipalities, and lay the groundwork for cities and municipalities to approve cannabis cafes.
The bill also establishes a Social Justice Trust to encourage greater diversity in the legal marijuana industry. The fund would offer grants and loans to encourage disadvantaged populations to participate in the cannabis space.
weed on wheels
Home delivery of recreational marijuana began in July 2021 when the Cannabis Control Commission approved licenses for Lantern and Your Green Package. Until July 2024, supply licenses are available exclusively to companies enrolled in the country’s Entrepreneur Support Support Program of color.
On the South Coast, marijuana courier Roy LaFlamme delivers goods from Health Circle in Rockland to customers in Quincy, Rockland and Abington. South Shore Buds in Marshfield offers a delivery service and plans to open a fulfillment center in Quincy later this year.
Eligible South Shore cities for delivery are Carver, Halifax, Kingston, Marshfield, Plymouth, Quincy, Rockland and Sharon.
bud bans
The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission’s website provides a city-by-city breakdown of whether a city has zoning or a ban on recreational marijuana retailers, known as adult-use status.
These South Shore cities have banned recreational marijuana businesses: Braintree, Canton, Cohasset, Duxbury, Hanover, Hingham, Hull, Milton, Norwell, Pembroke, Randolph, Scituate, Stoughton, Weymouth, and Whitman.
Braintree, a “non-community”
Mayor Charles Kokoros has proposed a zoning ordinance that will ban the sale of recreational marijuana. The proposal comes after the City Council approved an amendment earlier this month that would allow non-retail recreational marijuana operations in the city’s freeway business zones, opening the door to growers and other such businesses. Kokoros said he supports the change.
“We will remain a no-community regarding recreational marijuana sales,” Kokoros said.
Flower Xpress plans to build a marijuana cultivation and processing facility in a long-vacant warehouse on Ivory Street next to the Braintree MBTA station. There is no retail sale at the location. The plan has yet to be approved by the city planning committee and the state Cannabis Control Commission.
Invite into Quincy soon
Ron Affsa, who owns Hair Place One on Hancock Street, plans to open Quincy Cannabis Co. at 715 Washington St. near the Fore River Bridge in October. The state Cannabis Control Commission granted Quincy Cannabis Co. a provisional license, and the company signed a community hosting agreement with the city last year. Quincy receives 3% of the store’s profits.
No weeds in Weymouth
In 2018, the city council voted unanimously to ban the production and retail sale of recreational marijuana. Weymouth City Council assistant Diane Hachey said the city had not voted on the issue since 2018 and no proposals to change the ban had been put before City Council.
More marijuana in Marshfield
South Shore Buds – the city’s first and only retail outlet – opened on December 17, 2021. The store has a delivery service called Bud Bus, which delivers products to cities that allow delivery.
Marshfield voters have not banned recreational cannabis stores.
City Administrator Michael Maresco said a Health Circle store with a location in Rockland will open by the end of December 2022. The Marshfield Zoning Board of Appeals approved Health Circle for a store on Enterprise Drive in November 2020.
Still a no in Scituate
In 2018, voters at the Scituate City Convention voted to ban adult marijuana use. Voters upheld that ban in April 2022, when warrant articles were proposed to allow shops to open under certain conditions. The city will hold a special town meeting on Sept. 19 where the issue could be brought up again, city clerk Kathleen Gardner said.
Reefer madness in Rockland
Rockland is home to two recreational marijuana companies: CannaVanna and Health Circle. CannaVanna opened its doors in July 2021 as the first recreational marijuana dispensary on the South Shore. The city’s second retail location, Health Circle, opened less than a year later at 21 Commerce Road.
Rockland has no limit on the number of stores that can be open. The city signed a homestay agreement with Robert Lally, who plans to open a shop at 1015 Hingham Street. A fourth location could also be on the horizon in Rockland. City Manager Doug Lapp said the city has signed a hosting community agreement with the Two Buds company.
Randolph not ready
Randolph residents voted to ban recreational marijuana businesses in 2017. The vote came back in the fall of 2021, and residents voted to keep the ban in place, city attorney Christine Griffin said.
No in Norwell
Although the city does not permit retail sales, a cultivation facility called Elevated Access has been approved by local officials. City Administrator Peter Morin said the company is still awaiting government approval. In 2020, the city lifted a ban on growing medical and recreational marijuana and changed general laws, allowing an operation to open in the city’s Overlay District near Accord Park.
Restricted in Cohasset
The city banned retail outlets at a May 1, 2017 city meeting, and there is no discussion at this time of updating the regulations, city manager Chris Senior said.
A don’t for Duxbury
The city voted to ban marijuana facilities on March 10, 2018. There is currently no effort to change the law, said Duxbury finance director John Adams.
Not in Nantasket
The city of Hull voted in 2017 not to allow any retail outlets in the city, according to city manager Phil Lemnios. But the city’s first medical marijuana store, Alternative Compassion Services, opened earlier this year.
Material from the State House News Service was used in this report.
Thank you to our subscribers who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.
To reach The Patriot Ledger, email newsroom@patriotledger.com