Gardner cannabis firm seeks to take over Worcester dispensary vacated after death of Holyoke worker
PHOTO | Courtesy of Google Maps
Trulieve's former cannabis dispensary in Worcester could soon be home to a new dispensary operated by Joint Operations, a firm with an existing dispensary in Gardner.
Joint Operations, a cannabis company with locations in Gardner, Mendon, and Rowley, is seeking to take over the retail location at 142A Southbridge St. in Worcester vacated by Florida-based cannabis firm Trulieve, which ceased operations in Massachusetts following the death of one of its workers.
Joint Operations has filed a request for an amendment to a special permit to allow it to operate an adult-use cannabis retail store from the location, which is situated on the same block as Union Music’s store and George's Coney Island hot dog restaurant in Worcester’s Green Island neighborhood.
The permit is set to be considered at a Worcester Planning Board meeting on Wednesday. The amended special permit seeks to allow for Joint Operations to take over operations of the store and does not involve any other changes to the property, according to a copy of the application on the City of Worcester’s website.
Hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday, with plans for six on-site employees.
Trulieve closed its Worcester and Framingham locations in June 2023, saying it was leaving the state to focus on state markets it considered to be core to its financial stability.
Trulieve’s move to exit Massachusetts came after the 2022 death of Lorna McMurrey, a worker at a Trulieve cultivation and production facility in Holyoke who died from occupational asthma triggered by inhaling ground cannabis dust. McMurrey’s death led to a $14,502 settlement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and a $350,000 fine from the state’s Cannabis Control Commission.
Trulieve had purchased the Worcester location’s license as part of a $13.5-million deal in 2021 with Nature’s Remedy, a cannabis company owned by Florida-based Jushi Holdings with remaining dispensaries in Millbury and Tyngsborough. Trulieve continues to operate more than 200 dispensaries across nine states, according to its website.
Current Massachusetts rules limit individuals and entities from having controlling interest in more than three cannabis retail licenses, although some industry voices are pushing for a change to that law.
It’s unclear if Joint Operations plans to transfer one of its three existing licenses to Worcester; Todd Sullivan, CEO of Westborough-based Cannapreneur Partners and the listed applicant on the firm’s application for a special permit for the Worcester location, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The building at 142A Southbridge St. is owned by Sunstar Realty, a Northborough-based entity managed by Jefferson Mararian, the owner of 107 Tap in Worcester’s Canal District.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
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