Circle K To Partner With Green Thumb, Roll Out Marijuana Sales In Florida

Convenience store chain Circle K inked a deal with cannabis specialist Green Thumb Industries, owner of Rise Dispensaries, to sell medical marijuana at Circle K locations in Florida. Sales will begin in 2023.

The deal to sell cannabis at nondispensary locations is considered the first of its kind worldwide, as even in U.S. states and other jurisdictions where cannabis is legal, sales are only made at dispensaries, Bloomberg reports.

Green Thumb will lease space adjacent to Circle K for its Rise Express outlets, offering medical users a variety of its cannabis products, including flower, pre-rolls, edibles and vapes. The partnership will begin sales at about 10 of Circle K's 600 locations in the state as a test, according to Green Thumb. 

"Convenience is a strong channel in retail, and people want more access to cannabis,” Green Thumb CEO Ben Kovler said in a statement. “The new Rise Express model [will make] 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 Green Thumb products available at Florida Circle K's will come from the company’s new 28-acre cultivation facility in Ocala, Florida, which is slated to be operational by the end of 2022. 

The cannabis company entered the Florida market in 2018 and owns medical dispensaries in seven locations. Green Thumb also has an existing cultivation facility in Homestead, Florida.

Medical marijuana was legalized by ballot initiative in Florida in 2016, though the sale of flower for smoking didn't begin until 2019, and edibles weren't on the market until 2020. Recreational use is still banned.

More than 700,000 Floridians are registered cardholders in the state’s medical marijuana program, according to the Florida Department of Health.