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Date: 10/7/2020
EASTHAMPTON – Liberty Cannabis, a division of Holistic Industries, opened the doors to its new Easthampton location on Oct 2. The retail store located at 155 Northampton St. is officially open to serve both medical patients and recreational customers.
Earlier this year, they were granted a special permit to convert to an adult-use retail establishment, causing minor changes to the building. Shoppers can look forward to a warm, inviting space, excellent customer service, knowledgeable staff, and a wide variety of products.
Liberty will offer a wide variety of products and brands including Holistic’s brands which are Liberty Cannabis, Strane, Do Drops, and The Jerry Garcia Cannabis Collection.
Strane is a new brand of cannabis with an old school feel, according to Holistic Industries. It offers something for everyone with the quality flower or concentrate to match. Do Drops is an approachable, low-dose edible at just 2.5 mg of THC per drop.
The Jerry Garcia Cannabis Collection is a partnership with the Jerry Garcia family. According to Holistic Industries Chief Marketing Officer Kyle Barich, the Jerry Garcia Family did an extensive search to find the right partner to create the Jerry Garcia Cannabis Collection and chose Holistic Industries.
“Not only do we have the scale and operational track record to bring the brand to market, our entire senior leadership team are Deadheads and understand that this brand needs to honor Jerry Garcia’s legacy in a true, and authentic way,” Barich said.
The collection will launch this Fall in California and additional markets including Massachusetts next year. Barich said Holistic developed all aspects of the brand including products, packaging, accessories, and more in a creative partnership with The Jerry Garcia Family.
“We believe that the Jerry Garcia Cannabis Collection could become the next national cannabis brand,” he said.
According to a press release written by Holistic Industries, the company’s regional focus and investment in the communities in which they will operate allow for expansion while maintaining the company’s goals and values.
“In addition to hiring all from the local community and activating local programs and activities for outreach and education, Holistic is committed to providing greater access to the highest quality of cannabis for patients and customers in and around the Pioneer Valley region,” said Holistic Industries.
The Easthampton dispensary has hired 16 positions including both full-time and part-time.
Programs that the community can benefit from are Liberty Cannabis Cares town halls, educational programs, and the Liberty Rewards Program.
Holistic Industries Director of Outreach Rabbi James Kahn said Liberty Cannabis Cares is Holistic’s corporate social responsibility platform, a collection of initiatives and efforts focused around Social Equity, Diversity, Community Outreach, and Cannabis Literacy.
“Through different initiatives like virtual town halls, local community outreach, educational materials, hands-on volunteering, and partnering with local businesses, we use Liberty Cannabis Cares to invest in the communities in which we operate and take on initiatives that matter to the neighborhoods we are in,” said Kahn.
He said since the coronavirus, it has been nearly impossible to continue to educate people and normalize cannabis in person, so the industry moved the programs online to continue to serve patients and potential patients by providing them with access to educational content.
“The topics addressed vary, but have included the medical benefits of cannabis, demystifying the dispensary experience, and the best ways to get your medical card,” he said.
Liberty also hosts a recurring “Life with Cannabis” educational series that connects local medical professionals with Liberty’s director of community outreach. The conversations explore themes like cannabis and coronavirus and recreational versus medical use.
Kahn said they are hoping to host a virtual town hall for the residents of Easthampton soon.
Holistic Industries intends to open a Liberty Outreach Center for Advanced Learning (LOCAL). For now, the space will remain virtual but it will be dedicated to educating the local Easthampton community about a wide range of cannabis-related topics such as methods of ingestion, cannabis as a wellness tool, and cannabis and seniors.
“We are committed to ensuring that our customers know exactly what they are ingesting, how it will affect them, and any pertinent risks. Our aim is that LOCAL will enhance the cannabis experience of Easthampton residents and make sure that users consume cannabis as safely and responsibly as possible,” said Kahn.
Khan said it is important to have educational programs because there is still a stigma around cannabis for many people, even after 20 states deemed it essential during the shutdown.
The Liberty Rewards program is for medical cardholders only. Vice President of Retail Ella Wagge said customers can stop in and one of their Wellness Guides will be able to help set them up. Customers can track their progress with their loyalty platform, SpringBig.
“When you open your digital wallet, you can select your reward and redeem it the next time you’re in the dispensary. We offer some amazing rewards, including a house-choice eight for just $1, or a ½ gram cartridge for $10,” said Wagge.
Liberty will be open seven days a week, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The dispensary has social distancing rules in place to keep employees, patients, and customers safe. Masks are required of everyone in the store and social distancing will happen both in and outside of the dispensary.
Due to the coronavirus, Liberty will limit the number of people in the store. It will not exceed more than 10 people in the store at once. To keep a one-to-one patient to guide ratio, no more than four to five customers and patients can enter the store.
Wagge said they have also implemented online ordering and cashless and digital payments to ensure the safety of both the employee and the customer.