Signage with fuel prices at a Circle K gas station. Photo: Paul Ratje/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Some Florida customers who roll up to Circle K gas stations next year will have a chance to buy licensed medical marijuana products.
Driving the news: Circle K, a Canadian convenience store, has partnered with cannabis goods company Green Thumb Industries to sell medical marijuana in certain locations next year, the cannabis company announced Wednesday.
- The new partnership will begin at 10 stores across Florida, which has about 600 Circle K locations.
- Medical marijuana will be available at the RISE Express dispensaries, which will be adjacent to the Circle K stores, Green Thumb said.
The big picture: Marijuana — whether for medicinal or recreational use — is slowly becoming more accessible. For example, Uber Eats recently allowed customers in Toronto to purchase cannabis for delivery.
State of play: In Florida, patients can obtain medical cannabis from state-licensed dispensaries.
- Patients can receive a medical marijuana card for having a number of chronic conditions, including cancer, Parkinson’s disease, PTSD and others.
- At least 700,000 residents have medical marijuana cards in Florida, according to the Florida Department of Health.
What they're saying: “The opening of RISE Express stores at Circle K locations is a game-changer. Convenience is a strong channel in retail, and people want more access to cannabis,” said Green Thumb founder Ben Kovler said in a statement.
Flashback: Circle K’s parent company Couche-Tard teamed with Canadian cannabis company Fire & Flower in 2021 to open similar marijuana retail stores next to Circle K stores, per CNN.
Go deeper: Study: Marijuana legalization ➡️ increased consumption