Business & Tech
Second Newton Marijuana Shop To Open Soon
Redi, at the former Green Tea restaurant at the corner of Elliott Street and Route 9, is set to open July 9.
NEWTON, MA — A cannabis retail store set to open along Route 9 at Elliot Street will be the second in the Garden City, when it opens July 9.
According to Redi CEO Victor Chiang, the space at the former Green Tea restaurant was gutted in July and renovation with the building and the parking lot was set to be finished by the end of November. It was originally going to be called Cypress Tree, but the name changed to Redi.
Redi will also be opening dispensaries in Boston and Natick.
Find out what's happening in Newtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Locally owned, the dispensary will eventually open its lobby space to the community, where local artists will use it to spotlight their work. In addition, they will have yoga, meditation, and cannabis education classes in the lobby.
The staff will also participate in community service, according to the company.
Find out what's happening in Newtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The dispensary is set to open at 24 Elliot St.
"We are excited to bring that friendly neighborhood experience to you because this is our home and we remember when our neighbor in the plaza was Home Goods and Purity Supreme before that," according to a news release.
In 2016, about 54 percent of Newton voters supported the statewide ballot measure that legalized marijuana. Marijuana is legal for adults over the age of 21 in 10 states, including Massachusetts. Medical marijuana is legal in 33. That said: the federal government still classifies marijuana as a "schedule 1 drug," listing it as high potential for abuse.
In 2018 Newton voters rejected a proposed ban on recreational marijuana shops. They also poo pooed limiting the number of shops to 2-4, according to unofficial Election Night results. Newton now has eight licenses to give out in total.
Garden Remedies on Washington Street was the first pot shop to open in the city in 2016 as a medical marijuana dispensary. In May 2019, it added recreational marijuana sales by appointment. Both are by appointment only. Ascend on Washington Street was close behind, but plans there stalled last year.
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