Columbia Care Kicks Off Sales At Boston Cannabist Dispensary, Announces Social Equity Partnerships In Virginia

Columbia Care Inc. CCHW CCHW CCHWF (FSE:3LP) said Thursday it has obtained approval from the Cannabis Control Commission and the Boston Cannabis Board to launch operations as Cannabist at 21 Milk Street in downtown Boston, its co-located adult-use and medical dispensary previously known as Patriot Care.

The move follows the company’s recent announcement that it has obtained approval from the New York State Department of Health to start operations at its new facility in eastern Long Island.

The Boston-based retail location is one of three dispensaries operated by Columbia Care in Massachusetts and is the eighth Cannabist dispensary to open nationwide.

The stores feature several of the company's signature brands, including Seed & Strain, Triple Seven, Amber and PRESS.

Based in New York, the company scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Thursday, October 7.

"We are excited to bring the true Cannabist experience to Bostonians," said Jesse Channon, chief growth officer of Columbia Care. "We have received a positive response from customers and patients who experienced this transformation at our Lowell location and look forward to offering the same 'higher experience' to the cannabis community in the city of Boston. We're incredibly grateful to the Cannabis Control Commission, Boston Cannabis Board, and all the local officials who helped us bring this initiative across the finish line."

Social Equity Oriented Partnerships In Virginia

Separately, Columbia Care revealed it has teamed up with three organizations - BIPOCANN, Virginia Minority Cannabis Coalition and Nolef Turns to offer social equity-driven resources for the developing cannabis community in Virginia.

The group aims to ensure that the Virginia BIPOC community has viable and competitive opportunities in the market, which support the three elements that are critical to effective social equity initiatives: criminal justice reform, entrepreneurship and mentorship and equitable representation.

Nolef Turns provides direct services to justice-involved individuals and is poised to raise awareness around the need for resentencing, ending the war on drugs, probation and parole reform and an expedited path to automatic expungements.

VMCC is dedicated to providing training and economic opportunities for those who have been impacted by marijuana-related arrests and are now interested in pursuing careers in cannabis.

BIPOCANN supports BIPOC and other under-represented populations by making the cannabis industry more accessible and profitable.

"Undoing the harms of prohibition requires more than laws--it takes community outreach, and resources," said Ngiste Abebe, vice president of public policy at Columbia Care. "As the market leader in Virginia, we want to see a thriving cannabis economy in which everyone can take part, especially those who have been disproportionately affected by cannabis prohibition."

Price Action

Columbia Care's shares traded 0.51% lower at $3.89 per share at the time of writing Thursday morning.

Photo: Courtesy of David Gabrić on Unsplash