State Gives Green Light To Worcester's First Retail Pot Shop

WORCESTER, MA- Worcester will soon have its first retail marijuana shop thanks to approval from the Cannabis Control Commission.

Good Chemistry became the first company in the city to get the final approval for recreational sales from the Cannabis Control Commission on Thursday. The dispensary is located at 9 Harrison Street in the Canal District and currently only serves as a medical marijuana dispensary. The city's planning board unanimously approved a special grant in August allowing the company to sell recreation marijuana at the same location.

“We are thrilled with the Cannabis Control Commission’s decision to approve Good Chemistry’s application for an adult use cannabis license in Worcester. With this final approval, Good Chemistry Nurseries is preparing to open for adult use as soon as possible at our dispensary located at 9 Harrison Street in the Canal District," Matthew Huron Good Chemistry's CEO said in a statement.

"Good Chemistry Nurseries has developed and implemented best practices in the medical and retail cannabis industry in Massachusetts, Colorado and Nevada. We are a well respected, established company with a strong track record of compliance with state and local regulations. We chose Worcester to pursue our first medical and adult use facilities in Massachusetts because we have family roots there, a firsthand knowledge of and a deep respect and appreciation for the city. We look forward to continuing to grow our partnership with the community," he said.

The city gave Good Chemistry a retail license in November to sell adult-use marijuana, leaving the last approval up to the state. The company still needs to work with the city on a traffic mitigation plan before sales can begin.

The Cannabis Control Commission approved three final licenses for the company - allowing indoor cultivation and product manufacturing at the company’s Bellingham facility and retail sales in Worcester.

The dispensary plans on opening May 1. For the initial opening period, customers will be required to pre-register for an appointment through an online appointment registration system to access the dispensary

Worcester can open up to 15 marijuana retail stores, according to state law. The city will collect an annual fee of $120,000 or 3-percent of sales, whichever is greater.