Circle K announced that they secured a deal with cannabis company Green Thumb Industries Inc according to Bloomberg.com. This deal will allow Circle K to serve as dispensaries for medical marijuana.
The pop-up shops inside the gas stations will be called the “RISE Express”. In Florida, marijuana is not legal for recreational use. However, 700,000 Florida residents have medical marijuana cards and will be able to shop items including, vapes, edibles, cannabis, and pre-rolls.
The deal is the first of its kind. Green Thumb and Circle K will test out the “RISE Express” at pilot locations before possibly expanding to all 600 Circle K’s in Florida.
Kyla Sanford, a fourth-year broadcast journalism student, says that the deal is sending a bad message to Florida residents.
“I think it is ridiculous that people are in jail for selling weed but now Circle K, which is around a bunch of schools, is planning on selling it,” Sanford said. “I just find the idea concerning. We have people who have been in jail for years for doing the same thing. Brittany Griner is in jail for a weed pen. All the people in jail for weed charges should be set free. And I think it will lead to other gas stations trying to do it too.”
The weed for the “RISE Express” at Circle K will be cultivated at a facility in Ocala, FL.
Keisean Orange, a Florida A&M SBI alum says that it’s a good business move.
“I’m not sure if I love the idea of weed being sold in a gas station,” Orange said. “I would like to think that the packaging of such items will be discrete enough to not expose children to seeing cannabis. But, I understand the business opportunity both companies have at hand. Green Thumb could become the largest cannabis dispensary in Florida if all goes right. People needing gas is a necessity, and then if they are able to buy weed at the same time it’s convenient.”
There is a roadblock in the way of bringing the deal to life. According to Leafly.com, Florida’s Department of Health has yet to give regulatory approval on the historical deal between Circle K and Green Thumb.