culture | Thrive Cannabis Marketplace grand opening event

Last night I was invited to the grand opening/public preview event for Thrive's second dispensary, located in Vegas near the strip. Though the dispensary won't be up and running until the 13th, it was a unique opportunity for the community to see what medical cannabis and cannabis dispensaries are all about--and it was pretty cool!

Thrive went all out for this event, making it equal parts activism and entertainment. A handful of Vegas entertainers (my favourite was Zodiac Dragon, below) were present throughout the night, and there were food vendors and a cash bar. Guerilla Arts was there, doing live art. 

Inside, the general public was able to go inside and tour a dispensary as well as learn about medical products and getting a message card (this is because there was no cannabis on-sight; the display cases were in pristine condition and the sales floor was transformed into a water and popcorn snack bar). 

Some of the vendors and organizations that showed up to support include WeedMaps (who gave me a cool shirt for leaving a review on their app); Getting Legal, the organization that helps patients obtain med cards and advocates for our rights; o.pen vapes, the disposable oil cartridges that are at just about every dispensary; and my favourite, Trew Balance, a CBD tincture brand currently available in Arizona dispensaries (hopefully Vegas soon, too!) It was lovely to see CBD products included, since they offer the healing affects of cannabis without the psychoactive experience from THC--even would-be patients who are anxious about "getting high" could see the benefits of this medical product. 

I didn't get as many pictures as I wanted, but it was an amazing event. The diversity of the audience was really impressive to me--I saw the kind of patients I've come to know at my dispensaries, but I also saw so many other people. Families with little kids. "Professional" types. Women my mother's age. Although patient only (cannabis friendly) events can be a lot of fun, I was really glad this event was accessible to the public. I hope that it answered a lot of questions about cannabis sales and consumption, and I hope it's brought us that much closer to Yes on 2 in November. 

Thrive's second location is located at 1112 S. Commerce St and will be open for business on May 13. New patients are eligible for 25% off their first purchase at either location from now until May 31. Check them out and let me know what you think!