Quincy opened its 1st recreational dispensary this year. Three more may not be far behind.
QUINCY – After the city's first recreational marijuana store, Quincy Cannabis Co., opened in March, potential competitors have not wasted any time in laying the groundwork to enter the market. Three more businesses have taken initial steps toward obtaining state and municipal approval. If all three succeed, Quincy could become the leading player in the South Shore's growing cannabis sector.
Here are the cannabis companies trying to set up shop in Quincy:
Panacea Wellness on Ricciuti Drive
In March, multi-state cannabis company MariMed acquired Ermont Inc.'s medical marijuana dispensary, a 36,404-square-foot-grow and retail facility off Ricciuti Drive, and reopened it under the name Panacea Wellness. MariMed operates cannabis stores, cultivation facilities and distribution centers in six states and Puerto Rico.
The new ownership is pursuing an adult-use license for the Ricciuti Drive site with plans to build recreational retail space alongside and separate from its medical cannabis store. In addition to Quincy, Panacea Wellness operates a medical marijuana store in Annapolis, Maryland. It has an adult-use shop in Beverly and a combined medical and adult-use location in Middleboro.
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MariMed Chief Revenue Officer Ryan Crandall told The Patriot Ledger that the company is working through the state licensing process to bring recreational sales to its Ricciuti Drive facility. Crandall said medical patients would not be affected by the proposed change.
Since the acquisition, some things have changed, while others, namely personnel, have remained the same.
“The folks that worked at Ermont, the vast majority still work here,” Crandall said. “Former Ermont patients are noting that their favorite budtenders are still working.”
Patients have also an increased selection, Crandall said. The store sells products made at MariMed's 75,000-square-foot cultivating, processing and production center in New Bedford, which it leases to ARL Healthcare. The facility produces MariMed brands including Nature’s Heritage, Betty’s Eddies, Bubbie’s Baked and Vibations.
Wildflower Cannabis on Brook Road
In May, Wildflower Cannabis LLC held a community outreach meeting with Ward 4 City Councilor James Devine about its proposal to open a store at 159 Brook Road in a district designated as industrial.
Devine said the community meeting was not well attended.
"Only one couple came to show opposition," he said. "Feedback on social media was 50/50."
Devine said the location's proximity to nearby day care centers − there are five within about a mile − is residents' biggest concern. A city zoning ordinance requires marijuana stores to be at least 500 feet from day care centers. The closest day care to the proposed store would be the Amelio Della Chiesa Early Childhood Center, which is almost 1,300 feet away as the crow flies.
Co-owner Maggie Suprey said she started Wildflower with her partner and longtime friend Eleanor Winship as a "woman-owned, LGBTQ-owned company."
Suprey was born in Quincy and raised in South Boston. She and Winship grew up playing hockey together in the area. Both studied entrepreneurship at Brown University, where they played hockey and lacrosse.
After college, Suprey earned a law degree from Suffolk University and Winship earned an MBA from Rutgers University.
"The combined knowledge of business and the law has been key in us building this company," Suprey said. She is a public defender.
"Our mission is to continue to destigmatize cannabis," Suprey said. "We believe the negative stereotypes were shaped by years of misinformation. That’s why education is one of our company’s foundation pillars."
Having held a public meeting, Wildflower now needs a host community agreement from the mayor's office and a special permit from the zoning board of appeals. Suprey and Winship would then apply for a provisional license from the state Cannabis Control Commission.
Wildflower spokesperson Erin Riley said it's impossible to know when the Cannabis Control Commission will issue a license.
“Fortunately, because Maggie and Eleanor have a women-owned business, and an LGBTQ-owned business, they get priority in the state process," Riley said. "They get to move much more quickly through the state licensing process than a non-priority applicant."
Suprey called Quincy a "vibrant city."
"It's got a great economy. It's got great people," she said. "We think we'd weave well into the city's fabric."
Suprey said she and Winship plan to build a 3,500-square-foot store with five sales kiosks and two or three self-checkout stations.
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"It will have a clean, discrete design," Suprey said. "We'll have greenery around the perimeter and walkways. It will have a manicured appearance."
Riley said Wildflower will need a variance from zoning restrictions requiring marijuana establishments to be at least 1,500 feet from a residential district. Quincy Cannabis Co., which is off the Route 3A rotary near the Fore River Bridge, needed the same variance.
Chill and Bliss on Quincy Avenue
Chill and Bliss II LLC has scheduled a community outreach meeting about its proposed marijuana store at 503 Quincy Ave. for Monday, June 26, at 6 p.m. at the Fore River Clubhouse, 16 Nevada Road. According to state records, the company's registered agent is Kimberly Wall. A company representative could not be immediately reached for comment.
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Reach Peter Blandino at pblandino@patriotledger.com.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Three more proposals for adult-use cannabis dispensaries in Quincy
