Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal | May 14, 2018 | wbjournal.com BY ZACHARY COMEAU Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer PHOTO/EDD COTE Central Mass. prepares for pot At least 10 firms are seeking to sell retail mari- juana, but a lack of supply may be a problem O n July 1, Massachusetts will open the doors to its newest industry: Retail weed. e new industry brought along by the state's voters in November 2016 is bringing jobs, tax rev- enue and a new wave of entrepreneurs to the state and Worcester area – adding adult-use recreational marijuana to the six-year-old medical cannabis industry. In Central Massachusetts, at least 10 adult-use retail shops will seek to open aer July 1, when recreational licens- es can be awarded, based on WBJ's research into public notices, public filings and news reports. Cultivate Holdings in Leicester hopes to be one of the few facilities up and run- ning on the first day it's legally allowed to do so, said President Sam Barber. Currently, Cultivate operates a medi- cal marijuana grow site and dispensary in Leicester. e Cannabis Control Commission – the state recreational marijuana regulatory body – approved Cultivate's priority application, allowing the production of recreational products starting July 1. "We're excited to get rolling in this market, and I think it's going to be great for the company as well as the com- munity in terms of the number of jobs we're creating," said Barber, "and the tax revenue is going to be a huge help for this town." Jobs, jobs, jobs Currently at 20 jobs as a medical dispensary, Cultivate will add up to 15 by the end of the year, and more will probably be added once demand for recreational product increases. Barber said all employee areas will be increased, including production, sales and front office jobs. "Pretty much across the board," he said. At Southborough marijuana testing facility Evio Labs, the employee count is expected to triple within the next year, said co-founder Lori Glauser. e lab currently tests the 17 com- panies producing medical marijuana in the state, and it will shortly begin testing recreational marijuana. "We foresee a lot of new growers and producers coming in," she said. "We're definitely going to be ramping up our staff." Temescal Wellness, which is planning recreational dispensaries in Framing- ham and Hudson, will have at least 75 employees in the state by the end of 2018, and that number could double by the end of 2019. e company operates in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maryland. Its Worcester cultivation facility began growing last month. e Hudson dispensary on Coolidge Street will open first as a medical dis- pensary sometime in June, said Ted Reb- holz, founder and CEO. is summer, Temescal's dispensary in Worcester will transition to recreational products. Despite this anticipated growth because of the retail marijuana industry, the medical marijuana market will limit the state's cannabis inventory and the rollout of retail establishments. Inventory issues At dispensaries selling both medical and recreational marijuana, medical patients come first, and retail customers are sold the remainder. "We want to be sure we can satisfy patients of all needs and regardless of the shi to adult-use statewide, we want to make sure all medical patients have what they need," Rebholz said. Cultivate Holdings in Leicester opened in November as Central Massachusetts' first medical marijuana dispensary, and it plans on becoming the first recreational dispensary in the region come July 1. Curaleaf in Oxford already has marijuana products available for its medical patients. PHOTO/COURTESY

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