NETA Dispensary opens in Northampton September 28th

[BigHeadTodd]

Good news for MM card holders in western Massachusetts. NETA has announced that their shiny, new dispensary will be open for business on Monday morning, September 28th. As a extra treat, NETA has sent out special invitations to folks who preregistered with them to come in on either Saturday or Sunday to shop ahead of opening day. If you were lucky enough (like me) to get an invitation, they specify whether you are to come in on Saturday or Sunday. They also say not to worry about them running out of product, so if you can't make it in until Monday, there will still be lots to choose from. Here is what they wrote to me:

We are very excited for all of our patients to have access to our products when we open to the public on Monday. But we're starting by giving the first class treatment to those who have pre-registered. Yes, that means you.

On Saturday and Sunday, NETA will be opening our doors for the first time for an invitation-only event limited to pre-registered patients.

You have been selected for day one: Saturday, September 26

We'll be open all day – with more than enough product for everybody – so there's no need to rush over in the morning. Come anytime between 10am-7pm.

We look forward to seeing you. And remember, no worries if you can't make it Saturday. Starting Monday, you can visit us any time!
Invitation-Only Opening

Saturday
September 26
10am-7pm

 

[BigHeadTodd]

OK. Well I am back with my first report, sort of... Today was the "Invitation-only" opening that I was invited to. I didn't necessarily want to be first in line, and I thought that if I waited until later in the day that the lines would have died down. Wrong. I showed up around 2:00 or so and saw a line outside the door. I stood in that line for almost an hour and a half. There were helpful staff members there to answer anybody's questions and they were very informative. But when I was finally admitted into the building, there was another even longer line inside! There were six budtender stations but it seemed like whenever someone got to the counter they would then talk to the budtender for a half an hour or more. So after waiting for over two and a half hours, I left empty handed. I was very disappointed that there wasn't an "express lane" for those of us that knew what we wanted to buy. They told me that they would be setting up an express lane for the folks coming in tomorrow but that didn't help me today. Anyway, the place looked nice and the staff was very helpful and friendly. They had apples and bottles of water for all of us in the lines. They had 14 different varieties of flowers although 5 of the varieties were sold in 1/8 oz. max limits because of limited supply. They had three edibles (10 mg each), prerolled joints and a couple of infused products. They also sold vaporizers and vape pens. The place looks awesome and I bet it will be great once they get everything figured out.

One more thing: the state has limited your MM purchases to 4.3 oz per 10 week period because of the lack of testing labs here in Massachusetts. Golly, the state only had three years to get these labs together, and now, all of a sudden, they are scrambling? Once the testing labs are up and running, the state will allow us to buy 10 ounces in a 10 week period as originally planned. We are still allowed to have 10 ounces but apparently the state doesn't care about where the other 5.7 ounces came from or what contaminants may be in them... I guess this is new to everybody here and we are just struggling to figure it all out. :rolleyes3

 

[MassMedMan]

Great info, Todd,, thank you for sharing! Do you have a link to any of the new restrictions or laws? Do you know anything about the Bill to expand mmj patient growing rights?

 

[BigHeadTodd]

Great info, Todd,, thank you for sharing! Do you have a link to any of the new restrictions or laws? Do you know anything about the Bill to expand mmj patient growing rights?

I'm afraid I don't have links. I first heard about the 4.3 oz limit about the same time the dispensary in Brockton opened. I wasn't sure it the limit was specific to that Brockton dispensary or if it was statewide. As it turns out, it is caused by the lack of testing laboratories which is a statewide problem and affects all dispensaries in Massachusetts. I discussed this in detail with the NETA staff while I was stuck in line at the dispensary today. He gave me lots of details too numerous to mention here. Once the testing lab(s) is up to speed, the 4.3 oz. limit will be lifted and 10 will be allowed. It is my understanding that this restriction was mandated by the Department of Public Health.

And as for the bill to expand patients' mmj growing rights, I know nothing. So many of these well meaning bills are proposed and crafted only to die in some committee because the spineless chairman of the committee is afraid to attach their name to anything cannabis. They still think it's the third rail - which we all know is no longer true. Things are changing. These old political birds are sticking their fingers into the political winds and discovering that there is a train leaving the station and they better get on-board! But just because I haven't heard about this bill doesn't mean it isn't progressing properly. I just have my cynical moments.

We patients should be allowed to grow our own medicine without fear of prosecution. It's just a plant for God's sake! I hope I live long enough to see that day. Maybe I will...

 

[MassMedMan]

Thanks Todd. In another thread about state laws I saw someone mention being a caregiver after registering as a patient. I saw where you said you didn't think that was possible, that was my understanding also. But, last night I decided to go in to the portal and do that, set up a separate, account,,, it didn't let me. I don't think you can but sure would like to know how that other person did.

Have a great day! Thanks for the education!

 

[BigHeadTodd]

OK. It happened. NETA finally opened its doors to the MM card holding public yesterday. As you may have read earlier, I went to the "Invitation-only" soft opening on Saturday and left after standing in line for 2 3/4 hours... Yesterday's experience was markedly different. There were a bunch of cars in the parking lot when I pulled in but there were also some empty spaces which I took as a good sign. There was no outdoor line either. I showed my IDs and was allowed inside. I saw that they had installed two Express Lanes for people who knew what they wanted and didn't need a long consult with a budtender.

There were also two television news crews there when I arrived. Unlike the opening of a new Starbucks, this story is locally important and I guess needs video news coverage. I look forward to the day when the opening of a dispensary is as newsworthy as a Starbucks opening.

This was my third trip there and every time I have had very good experiences dealing with the staff. Yesterday I was lucky enough to corner the Executive Director. I had his ear for 15 or 20 minutes and I peppered him with questions, and I loaded him up with ideas I had on how to make this amazing dispensary even better. He seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say. Once I was done chatting with him, I proceeded to review the revised menu. On Saturday they had 14 varieties of flowers and three kinds of edibles as well as other things like pre-rolled joints, vaporizers, etc. By Monday when I arrived, they were down to 8 varieties of flowers and two edibles but the selection was still first rate. I was told that NETA will be growing as many as 100 different kinds of flowers and then choosing the best 50 varieties to bring to the dispensary. That would be amazing. I'll keep you posted as to whether or not they end up doing that. The edibles on Monday were lozenges and candy but they intend of offer baked goods and infused beverages in the not too distant future.

That's all for now but I will be posting any news that comes along in the next few weeks.