EASTHAM — The marijuana dispensary Emerald Grove is anticipating a February opening for adult-use retail sales, but it may have to delay launching its medical marijuana dispensary until later in the year.
The business currently has provisional licenses for a retail operation and a medical marijuana treatment center at its commercial condo in the Main Street Mercantile complex at 3 Main St., on Route 6.
According to Phil Silverman, Emerald Grove’s attorney, approval of its license would most likely be on the agenda of the Cannabis Control Commission’s February public meeting.
“Even after that, there’s some additional inspections that you have to go through before you get what’s called your notice to commence operations or sales,” said Silverman, who serves as counsel in the Boston office of Vicente Sederberg, dubbed “the country’s first powerhouse marijuana law firm” in an October 2015 Rolling Stone article.
Emerald Grove, which is owned by Alexander Jamoulis, Timothy Jamoulis, and Demetra Jamoulis, had planned to obtain marijuana and marijuana products from its affiliated cultivation and product manufacturing facility in Middleborough, but that location is not expected to open until late next summer.
“It’s going to take a little longer to undergo construction and inspections to get open,” said Silverman.
Initially, the company will be purchasing most of its products wholesale from other suppliers. Medical marijuana, however, is subject to more stringent requirements than the adult-use retail product.
“You’re supposed to be, in theory, vertically integrated,” said Silverman of medical marijuana — that entails cultivating, processing, and selling your own product.
“Because their production facility may not be up and ready by the time they’d like to open, they may have to start with just adult use,” said Silverman. “Although it’s possible the Cannabis Control Commission would allow them to purchase product from other people for the medical operations as well.”
Silverman acknowledged that many people would not bother getting a medical marijuana prescription and would instead shop at the adult-use marijuana dispensary.
“The people that work at these dispensaries, they’re very knowledgeable about these products,” he said. “They obviously can’t give medical advice to anybody, but they can give anecdotal advice — from knowing what other customers have told them.”
Silverman said the dispensary would probably carry a wide range of products, including cannabis flowers, edibles, vaporizer pens, topicals, and sublingual sprays.
“Everybody in the industry right now is sort of figuring out what the Massachusetts market is looking for,” he said. “The Cape will have its own unique aspects, because there are not a lot of places down there right now that are open. I’m sure Emerald Grove is going to be trying to figure out what products will serve the market best.”
The dispensary plans to be open seven days a week. According to the agreement with the town, the first two weeks of operation would be by appointment only.
