Circle K will begin to offer medical marijuana products at its Florida convenience stores
Green Thumb Industries announced a partnership with Circle K to open medical cannabis dispensaries attached to convenience stores in Florida beginning in 2023. One of the largest players in the cannabis retail market and the global convenience store chain have formed an alliance that will undoubtedly be beneficial to Florida residents with medical cannabis cards.
In Florida, the sale of medical cannabis is legal through a system of private medical consultations and licensing by the state government. According to regulatory entities, more than 700,000 Floridians have medical marijuana patient cards that allow them to purchase from dispensaries.
Starting next year, RISE Express dispensaries will open in spaces attached to Circle K convenience stores. They will have a different entrance and the patient card must be shown to enter.
Green Thumb reported that ten RISE Express dispensaries would be opened during the initial phase, but the locations remain unknown at this time. The agreement works through spaces that Circle K will lease to the cannabis company. It is worth noting that there are more than 600 Circle K outlets and gas stations in the Sunshine State.
Cannabis products sold at Circle K’s RISE Express dispensaries will be made at a Green Thumb cultivation facility located in Ocala, FL, which will begin operations in late 2022. “Convenience store is a strong channel in retail and people want more access to cannabis. The new RISE Express model is a great step forward in making it easier and more efficient for patients to purchase high-quality cannabis as part of their daily routine when they stop by their local store,” asserts Ben Kovler, CEO of Green Thumb Industries
This is not Circle K’s first approach with the cannabis industry. In the middle of this year, Fire & Flower Holdings announced that Alimentation Couche-Tard (ACT), a Canadian company that owns Circle K, will buy 20% of its shares.