Newsonyx

Beginning next year throughout the Sunshine State, Circle K gas stations will become the latest vendor in the legal marijuana space.

On October 19, Green Thumb Industries announced its partnership with Circle K would include ten RISE Express dispensaries. The gas stations will have separate entrances. The marijuana-based offerings include RYTHM premium flower, Dogwalkers pre-rolls, incredibles Gummies and &Shine vapes.

Green Thumb Industries Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ben Kovler said, “The opening of RISE Express stores at Circle K locations is a game-changer. Convenience is a strong channel in retail, and people want more access to cannabis. The new RISE Express model is a huge step forward in making it easier and more efficient for patients to purchase high-quality cannabis as part of their everyday routine when stopping by their local convenience store.” 

The organization is prime and prepped for the new business venture with Circle K. Green Thumb Industries, which already has a brand-new 28-acre cultivation compound in Ocala. It should be up and running by year’s end. Another cultivation plant is located in Homestead. The Chicago-based company entered the Florida market in 2018.

It currently has retail stores in seven Florida cities. 

Circle K’s owner, Canada-based Alimentation Couche-Tard, explained that the  partnership doesn’t mean regular gas station attendants can drop dime bags, “Circle K is not selling cannabis in its U.S. stores.” 

On October 6, President Biden tweeted that change was coming for folks convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law. 

“As I’ve said before, no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana. Today, I’m taking steps to end our failed approach. We classify marijuana at the same level as heroin—and more serious than fentanyl. It makes no sense.”

According to the ACLU, Black people are almost four times more likely to be arrested for having marijuana, even though usage by race is relatively even.