Marijuana Sales at Gas Stations? Get in Line, Circle K.

The concept of gas and grass had news outlets buzzing this week, after a marijuana corporation announced plans to sell marijuana at Circle K.

Starting in 2023, Green Thumb will open ten medical marijuana dispensaries connected or adjacent to Circle K locations in Florida, thanks to a lease agreement with the gas station chain, according to the Chicago-based company.

“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,” Green Thumb founder Ben Kovler said while announcing the upcoming stores.

The partnership made national headlines for obvious reasons, but RISE Express dispensaries in Florida won't be the first gas station-pot shop hybrid. That honor belongs to a Colorado outfit.

In 2015, the year after recreational marijuana sales began in Colorado, dispensaries were still figuring out how to set themselves up for the future. Burgeoning dispensary chain Native Roots added two outposts in Colorado Springs, among others, that year. But these two medical marijuana dispensaries didn't carry the traditional Native Roots name and branding, because they weren't traditional dispensaries.
Dubbed Gas & Grass, the Native Roots stores on 1003 North Academy Boulevard and 1705 West Uintah Street in the Springs sold two kinds of diesel — and unleaded, of course. They were the first gas stations to offer licensed marijuana sales in the country.

Native Roots is now one of the largest dispensary companies in Colorado, but it limited its gas station model to the two Colorado Springs spots while continuing to open new stores. Green Thumb, on the other hand, has plans to expand its Circle K footprint throughout Florida, where the Circle K chain has approximately 600 locations.

The main difference: In Colorado, dispensaries are barred from selling any consumable product without cannabis or cannabis extract, so Gas & Grass dispensaries can't sell traditional convenience-store food and drink (though they can sell lighters, papers and smoking accessories). Florida doesn't have such restrictions, so at the RISE Express store, patients will be able to fill up their tank, buy a pre-roll and grab a Gatorade, all at once.

Although the hype has died down, both Native Roots Gas & Grass stores are still in operation. If Colorado Springs voters approve an upcoming ballot measure for recreational dispensaries within the city, these Gas & Grass stops could become the first gas stations in the country to offer recreational marijuana, as well.