Cannabis flower from the four Connecticut growers is for sale at Fine Fettle medical cannabis dispensary in Stamford. A Fine Fettle dispensary for recreational cannabis is set to open Tuesday in Newington.
NEWINGTON — Recreational cannabis is coming to the Berlin Turnpike on Tuesday, and the Fine Fettle dispensary is expecting a crowd.
Of the seven recreational cannabis locations set to open in Connecticut Tuesday, medical marijuana dispensary Fine Fettle operates three of them. In addition to Newington, Fine Fettle will open in Stamford and Willimantic on Tuesday with a Manchester location tentatively set to open in February.
“We’ve really been preparing,” said Benjamin Zachs, COO of Fine Fettle. “In Newington, we’ll have 11 registers open. We were going to have 30 employees there per shift on the first day. We’re doing everything to be able to handle whatever comes our way.”
The Newington, Stamford and Willimantic locations have been dispensing medical marijuana. The Manchester location will be the first recreational-only cannabis dispensary and will operate as part of a venture between Fine Fettle and social equity partners.
Here’s what you need to know about Fine Fettle’s opening Tuesday in Newington:
When will the dispensary open?
The Newington Fine Fettle location will open at 10 a.m. Tuesday after a 9:30 a.m. ribbon cutting. The dispensary will remain open until 8 p.m. After Tuesday, the regular hours will be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Do you have to pre-order?
All sales at the Newington location must be pre-ordered online. The full menu of options will open Monday on the Fine Fettle website. When pre-ordering, you can view the prices, but you will not pay until you come into the store after scheduling an appointment.
“We really have to be conscious of the potential of traffic, and we don’t want what happened in Massachusetts, with huge lines and people getting upset because of sitting in cars waiting,” said Rick Carbray, CEO at Fine Fettle.
The dispensary cannot accept credit cards, but will take debit cards and cash. There will also be an ATM available on site.
Where is the product from?
Fine Fettle will source the flower from the same four Connecticut-based producers used for medical sales.
“They have been the medical producers since day one, and they will be the first four people creating products in the state,” Zachs said.
What products will be available Tuesday?
The Newington location will offer a range of vape oils and flower options, Zachs said.
“We’ve have indica, sativa and hybrids and a lot of different consumption methods,” Zachs said. “We’re hoping that we can find something for everyone who wants a product.”
While more established dispensaries in Massachusetts may offer a wider variety of edible products, Zachs explained that these sorts of consumption methods will not be ready for day one.
“It’s gonna take some time for product variety and skews to further open up in the market,” Zachs said. “And the gummies have not been available to medical patients at this time in Connecticut.”
Zachs said edible cannabis, such as gummies, is often an entry point for people eager to try cannabis but who are hesitant to smoke. Stephanie Marquez, of Hartford, said she was planning to check out the Newington location and hoped they would stock edibles.
“I think I will still go to check it out,” Marquez said. “Not sure if I would purchase. I do personally prefer edibles to rolling or smoking.”
I’ve never been to a dispensary before. What should I expect?
If you have pre-ordered and scheduled an appointment, once you arrive at the dispensary a greeter will direct you to the parking area, Carbray explained. There will be three checkout lines for medical patients and the remaining eight will be for recreational use.
If you drive up without a pre-order or an appointment, the greeter will give you a QR code to scan and place your order before you can go inside.
“It’s not like you’re going in shopping for produce and touching the oranges and apples and looking at this and that,” Carbray said. “All the products are pre-packaged, pre-labeled. So it’s a really like kind of excellent, efficient system.”
People new to cannabis who have questions about what products are best for them will be able to contact Fine Fettle pharmacists by phone while placing their orders online.
What if I am a medical patient?
If you’re a medical patient who has used the Newington location, the dispensary will still be open for you on Tuesday. However, Carbray cautioned that with an influx of recreational customers expected, it might be best to make an appointment for a different day.
“On this particular day, they should probably plan ahead and get in before that so they can avoid those kind of lines,” Carbray said. “They will still be prioritized, don’t get me wrong. If a medical patient walks in to pick up a pre-order, they will get in very quickly.”
The dispensary has been closed to medical patients for several Wednesdays leading up to the recreational launch as the facility has needed time to prepare for this week’s opening.
Why is Tuesday’s recreational launch significant?
Tuesday marks an important day for Fine Fettle and the state. Fine Fettle hired 130 new employees to support the sale of recreational cannabis. Zachs said recreational sales is also a big step in tackling the stigma around cannabis.
“Not just because this is cannabis selling, but because this is a change in view and perception and stigma on a plant,” Zachs said. “That is really important. I think the even bigger thing that happened, more than what is happening on Tuesday, is last week the governor expunged 43,000 cannabis records, and so this day of first sales is a step in a much larger sort of conversation around cannabis in our state and candidly in the country.”
Zachs confronted the assumption that a recreational cannabis dispensary is just a “store selling drugs.”
“They’re gonna come in and they’re gonna see unbelievable professionalism,” Zachs said. “They’re gonna see incredible customer service.”
H/T: www.ctinsider.com
