Medical Cannabis Dispensary Officially Opens In Vernon

VERNON, CT — A regional medical cannabis dispensary Friday officially opened in Vernon in a building that once housed a kids bounce house center.

Acreage Holdings Inc., the parent company of The Botanist dispensary, announced the "official" relocation of its third Connecticut location at 234 Talcottville road in Vernon.

It is being billed as "the first-ever cannabis dispensary" in the town. When asked what the difference was with a CBD store up Route 83, a company spokeswoman said the products that can be purchases at The Botanist are THC.

Acreage bills itself as "a vertically integrated, multi-state operator of cannabis cultivation and retailing facilities in the U.S." Acreage moved the facility to Vernon from South Windsor.

In 2012, the building with its distinct rounded front opened as a bounce house center. It maintained that theme under other ownership for some time until it closed amid diminished crowds amid the coronavirus pandemic. A new building owner toyed with the idea of a liquir store there, but, in January 2023 a permit was sought for a cannabis facility.

The Botanist Vernon is designed to provide medical patients with "full access" to a wide range of products both in-store and online, including flower, pre-rolls, vapes, edibles, and accessories. For "a seamless experience," patients will have the option to either shop in-store or pre-order products online to pick up directly at the dispensary.

"It is an honor to bring The Botanist dispensary experience to the residents of Vernon, who until now, did not have direct access to a cannabis dispensary in their town," said Dennis Curran, the chief executive officer and chairman of Acreage. "This relocation has given us the opportunity to enhance our customer service experience for patients in and around the borough earlier than expected, with more space to offer a diverse product selection, improved accessibility, as well as more efficient ways to shop the menu, with delivery service anticipated to be available in the near-term. We are proud of our growing presence in the state, along with the strong relationships we continue to develop with our valued patients and partners, and we look forward to continuing this momentum as we work toward converting this dispensary to a hybrid model to also serve adult-use consumers."

The Company expects to convert the dispensary to a hybrid model to serve both medical patients and adult-use consumers in the first half of 2024.

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The Botanist Vernon is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. For more details, online pre-ordering, and a full list of locations in Connecticut, visit shopbotanist.com.