Martha’s Vineyard’s First MMJ Dispensary

The Island’s first recreational pot shop received approval from Martha’s Vineyard. There was one condition that came with this approval; that patients should arrive by appointment only (no walk-in’s), and the facility must meet all the required traffic and safety protocols. 

Commissioners unanimously approved Patient-Centric MV, a recreational marijuana dispensary. The review of the project as a development of regional impact (DRI) came up. The applicant and owner is Geoff Rose.

New Facility Location in Martha’s Vineyard for Patient-Centric 

The new Patient-Centric dispensary will be located at 510 State Road in West Tisbury. Numerous concerns were raised about traffic and parking during the public hearing process. In response to those concerns, the commissioners said that the benefits of the project as a whole further outweighed its drawbacks. 

“It meets an apparent consumer demand that has otherwise not been met on the Island at all,” Commissioner Joan Malkin said.

As much as the dispensary services are essential to local patients, the commissioners still addressed traffic and safety issues. They set several conditions for traffic and safety at the site. The safety and traffic issues surfaced from resident comments and feedback during the past three public hearings.

Martha’s Vineyard first legalized medical marijuana in 2013. Currently registered patients in M.V. can possess up to 1 ounce of cannabis and cultivate up to six (6)  marijuana plants for personal use.  A residence with two registered medical marijuana patients can grow up to twelve (12) plants in total.  It remains illegal to sell home cultivated cannabis, or possess weed that is not state-certified. 

First Marijuana Dispensary Hours of Operation Are Regulated

Once Patient-Centric MV  officially opens, the facility will be open from 10.a.m to 6 p.m., Sunday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m on Friday and Saturday. The dispensary will have to operate within a limited time frame, but it can open for fewer hours, depending on the owner’s schedule. 

Only customers with an appointment will be allowed to visit. Only five appointments will be allowed every 15 minutes and a sixth express appointment. The delivery service will only apply to medical use. The idea is to avoid accumulating a crowd of patients and vehicles that might disrupt traffic and other businesses in the area. 

The facility also has to have a parking attendant available during operating hours for the safe flow of traffic. Still, the entrance and parking lot to the site must be well structured according to the commission’s requirements. 

Once the current lease comes to an end, a one-bedroom apartment in the building will have to go to a Patient-Centric employee. This is according to the conditions. 

Geoff Rose was licensed recently by the state’s Cannabis Control Commission to grow medical cannabis at the site. However, he still awaits the state’s approval to begin selling recreational marijuana. He has voiced his optimism to have medical cannabis products by November.  And be serving Adult-Use and registered patients from the location. 

In a roll call vote, 15 commissioners voted to approve the new cannabis dispensary. New cultivation on the island has required undersea cables to be installed and other infrastructure, that delayed the process.