BROOKLINE, MA – MARCH 23: “Ghost train haze” marijuana buds are weighed for a customer on the first day of recreational marijuana sales at New England Treatment Access in Brookline, MA on March 23, 2013. Greater Bostons first recreational marijuana shop opened in Brookline Village Saturday with all the expected fanfare but none of the traffic disasters town officials had feared. Officials spent months preparing for hundreds – and even thousands – of customers to line up at New England Treatment Access, bringing the potential for clogged sidewalks, packed intersections, and few open parking spots. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Dispensaries have become all the rage in Masschusetts. Cannabis became legal for adults to grow and possess in Massachusetts on December 15, 2016.
BOSTON - JULY 20: A customer makes a purchase from Nicole Oliver, retail supervisor at Berkshire Roots, a pot shop in East Boston during their first day of business, July 20, 2020. It is the City of Boston's second pot shop to open. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Since then, dispensaries in the state have been popping up everywhere.
BOSTON - JULY 20: People stand outside of Berkshire Roots during the pot shop in East Bostons first day of business on July 20, 2020. It is the city's second pot shop to open. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
As of last year, Massachusetts dispensaries have made $3 billion in sales.
BROOKLINE, MA - MARCH 23: Lines of customers wait outside on the first day of recreational marijuana sales at New England Treatment Access in Brookline, MA on March 23, 2013. Greater Bostons first recreational marijuana shop opened in Brookline Village Saturday with all the expected fanfare but none of the traffic disasters town officials had feared. Officials spent months preparing for hundreds - and even thousands - of customers to line up at New England Treatment Access, bringing the potential for clogged sidewalks, packed intersections, and few open parking spots. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
So how will future dispensaries in Massachusetts set themselves apart from the rest? How about offering topless dispensaries? That is one idea being floated around in the town of Whately Massachusetts.
BROOKLINE, MA - MARCH 23: "Ghost train haze" marijuana buds are weighed for a customer on the first day of recreational marijuana sales at New England Treatment Access in Brookline, MA on March 23, 2013. Greater Bostons first recreational marijuana shop opened in Brookline Village Saturday with all the expected fanfare but none of the traffic disasters town officials had feared. Officials spent months preparing for hundreds - and even thousands - of customers to line up at New England Treatment Access, bringing the potential for clogged sidewalks, packed intersections, and few open parking spots. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
According to owners of the strip club "Club Castaway" Nick Spagnola and Julius Sokol “We’re leaning toward cannabis with a twist. … There are a lot of dispensaries open and you need a niche to be successful. Castaways as a strip club would be no more.” Several things need to happen before this potential business is approved. For more information on the potential of a topless dispensary in Massachusetts, CLICK HERE
Massachusetts Becomes The First State With Cannabis Cirriculum For Driver’s Ed
Boston.com reports that starting in January of 2023 Massachusetts drivers, under the age of 18, will be required to learn about the dangers of marijuana-impaired driving. With this move, Massachusetts becomes the first state with a cannabis cirriculum for driver's ed students.
Ironically, recreational marijuana became legal in Massachusetts 6 years ago tomorrow.
The Blunt Truth
You can't make this up. But kudos for a clever marketing in coming up with the cirriculum name. AAA's program for driver's ed students is called, “Shifting Gears: The Blunt Truth About Marijuana and Driving.” According to The Boston Globe, The RMV is working members of the Cannabis Control Commission. The two organizations will formally announce this new program at an event on Friday. This program has been available for educators for some time.
The First Generation
As the Registry of Motor Vehicles points out, this will be the first generation of driver's ed students to get their licenses, following the legalization of recreational marijuana in Massachusetts. And according to AAA research, canabis impaired driving crashes are expected to increase
The Cirriculum
Boston.com reports that the lessons in the new driver's ed cirriculum will cover how TCH, which is the active chemical in marijuana, affects "cognition, vision, reaction time, and perception of time and distance behind the wheel."
The Numbers
The updated curriculum will be taught to roughly 52,000 new drivers each year in 700 Massachusetts driving school locations, according to NBC 10 Boston.
