4Front Ventures (FFNT.C) announced that they have received unanimous approval to begin operations of their ‘Mission Brookline’ dispensary from the Brookline Select Board.
4Front is now only waiting for approval from the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) before they can officially begin operations. The store, which will be located on 1024 Commonwealth Avenue, will serve adults of Massachusetts who are 21 and older, initially by online appointment for in-store pickup. 4Front also hopes to capitalize on the Allston Innovation Corridor, which they describe as a “vibrant community” in the Boston University and Boston metro area.
4Front plans to offer their existing suite of products, such as Funky Monkey, Legends, Marmas, Crystal Clear, and Hi-Burst at the Mission Brookline dispensary, and the storefront will offer a full line of consumer-demanded flower, extracts, edibles, vaporizers, cartridges, batteries, ancillary products, and merchandise.
“We want to thank the Brookline Select Board for unanimously approving us for operations, and awarding us our certificate of occupancy,” stated Derek Stewart, vice president retail operations, Mission Dispensaries, Massachusetts. “This milestone brings us closer to bringing our impeccable customer service and high-quality product lines at a great price point to more consumers and patients in the commonwealth. We’re honored to be a part of such a vibrant community, and look forward to this new location delivering added value to the local community and the commonwealth for years to come.”
4Front is looking to take advantage of their existing footprint in Massachusetts through their Mission Brookline dispensary, as the company has received approval on their Mission facility in Georgetown, MA and on their cultivation/processing center and dispensary in Worcester, MA.
Receiving unanimous approval to open a cannabis dispensary from a select board in a place like Brookline Massachusetts seems normal now, but it is worth noting that such an event would have been unthinkable 20 years ago. However, in Massachusetts, once the tide started turning in favor of cannabis legalization, it turned quickly. In 2008, Massachusetts voters decriminalized small amounts of cannabis, then 4 years later legalized medical marijuana, and then in 2016 Massholes like myself voted to legalize.
And shifting views in places like Brookline were a crucial part of that change.
Brookline, the birthplace of JFK, is the second most educated place in America and is a solidly upper-middle-class neighborhood, with a median family income of over $92,000. People with political sway in Brookline twenty years ago were the kind of moms panicking about their kids smoking pot, and today those same moms now love their edibles.
Massachusetts is in the top ten states for cannabis use, and getting a foothold in places like Brookline is increasingly valuable for cannabis companies.
Brookline, we go hard.
Following the news, 4Front’s share price is up 5 cents and is currently trading at $1.62.
