Issue XVIII
Cannabis worker and patient safety, Strange things are afoot at Circle K (but are they, really?), plus more.
Welcome to the 18th edition of Burn After Reading! This is my newsletter on cannabis (and other things). You can check out last week’s issue here, and if you haven’t subscribed yet, please do.
In this week’s Cannabis Confidential, I take a look at the Trulieve situation, worker and consumer safety in general, and how cannabis employees are trying to fight back.
Despite saying they would not comment on the events of January 4th, 2022 out of respect for the victim’s family, Trulieve has now released a statement that offers their version of what happened that day. The company claims it’s an attempt to clarify some “incorrect information” that has been reported.
In the statement, the company seemingly admits that McMurrey was not wearing any sort of respirator — only an N95 mask — and that she was only wearing it “for at least a portion of that day.” The statement also claims she complained of symptoms but chose to return to work after being given the option of going home with pay.
Is it a sound PR strategy to admit they let a worker who was complaining of health problems return to work?
The account also disputes the notion that she was working in the grinder room when the incident occurred, among other claims leveled at the company by former employees who have spoken out about the incident. You can read it here.
Trulieve is also using anonymity to make further claims that diminish any responsibility for McMurrey’s death. An unnamed official from the company reportedly told cannabis newsletter The Green Paper said that McMurrey’s death was the result of preexisting asthma and her smoking, despite the fact that McMurrey’s mother has previously told the media that Lorna had quit smoking and never had breathing problems before she started working at the facility.
(I’m hesitant to take pot shots at other cannabis newsletters, but let’s just say you will not find me allowing billion dollar companies to anonymously cast blame on the deceased in this space.)
In an unrelated story, it was also announced this week that Trulieve settled a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by an employee who says they were improperly denied paid leave after being injured while working for the company(🔒).
WEED SALES ARE COMING TO GAS STATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES.
This is probably a headline you’ve seen in the past few days.
While it’s true in the most technical sense, this announcement is about 90% smoke, 10% fire.
It’s nice to see GTI finally just come out and admit that they are selling gas station-quality weed, but let’s go through everything that’s over-hyped with this announcement (other than the fact that it pretends nobody has ever bought weed next to a gas station before).
First off, as I just suggested, you’re not going to buy a pack of dogwalker joints at the counter with some scratch tickets. In order to comply with state law, GTI’s express stores will have to be separate facilities, complete with their own entrance. Since Florida is still a medical-only state (albeit one with 700,000+ patients), you’ll also need a med card to make a purchase.
Florida's dispensary regulations require a vault to store product in, as well as a waiting area "with sufficient space and seating to accommodate qualified patients and caregivers, and at least one private consultation area that is isolated from the waiting area and area where dispensing occur."
The rules also require at least two employees to be on-site, and theoretically, GTI will want these “express” stores to be big enough so that’s there’s not a line out the door and customers aren’t packed in like sardines.
Considering all this, it’s hard to imagine that these express stores will be that different than your average Florida dispensary, in size or otherwise — other than their proximity to petroleum. Plenty of medical stores in Florida are already right next door to conventional, mainstream retail outlets.
Bloomberg’s gushing report on this news — Weed Is Coming to Circle K Gas Stations in US Next Year — calls this deal a “global first.” I have no idea what they mean by that. Colorado and other states have had gas station/dispensaries for years, and unlike the GTI/Circle K partnership, you don’t have to walk outside and into a different storefront to make your purchases. There’s also drive-through dispensaries operating in a number of markets, which are obviously even more convenient.
This also isn’t Circle K’s first attempt at entering the cannabis space.
You could say this is the first real estate partnership we’ve seen between a major convenience chain and an American cannabis company, but the headline “Weed Is Coming to Circle K Gas Stations in US Next Year“ needs about six different asterisks.
It’s not that this partnership is completely without value. Generally speaking, gas stations are in locations where you would also want to put a dispensary, and if this works out, it could lead to further partnerships and branding deals between the two companies in Florida and markets beyond. These spots will also become a lot more valuable once Florida inevitably legalizes cannabis for recreational use.
This deal likely has Circle K basically serving as the landlord, with the space leased to GTI. It allows the company access to the cannabis industry without having to be directly “plant touching,” and I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing other deals like this pop up with other mainstream retailers that own their own real estate.
Still, this is mostly fluff that is a welcome distraction from GTI’s troubles, which include their falling stock prices and disintegrating board of directors. It’s very similar to Leafly’s recent announcement that they are “teaming up” with Uber Eats to offer cannabis delivery in Toronto, which was followed a few days later with an announcement that they were making “cost reductions to strengthen their financial profile” (aka laying off 21% off their workforce) — a story that received about 21% of the coverage that the Uber Eats deal got.
It’s fine that an MSO is going to (eventually) open 10 tiny dispensaries in a market that already has 450+ medical cannabis retail stores, but let’s not act like this is a monumental moment in cannabis history.
Put a dispensary inside a Dunkin Donuts? Now you have my attention, GTI.
Quick hits:
New England
The ancillary businesses that support Mass. cannabis dispensaries (Tiziana Dearing and Bart Tocci/WBUR) 🔊
Cannabis retailers say business is booming in Vermont (Josh Morrill/
mychamplainvalley.com)
Mass. company plans cannabis growing, retail operations on Brainard Road in Hartford (Michael Puffer/Hartford Business Journal)
National / Rest of U.S.
20 [NY] Cannabis Dispensaries Are Supposed to Open This Year — But Not a Single Location Has Been Announced Yet (TheCity.NYC/Gabriel Poblete)
2022 Election Preview: North Dakota Adult-Use Legalization Would Buttress Cannabis Reform in Middle America (Patrick Williams/Cannabis Business Times)
International
[Dominica PM] Skerrit announces development of legislative mechanisms for launching local cannabis industry as early as next year (Dominica News Online)
German Government’s Marijuana Legalization Plan Leaked, Drawing Criticism From Both Sides Of The Debate (Kyle Jaeger /Marijuana Moment)
U.S. Congressional Delegation To Colombia Talks Marijuana Legalization And ‘Failed American Policies’ On Drugs (Kyle Jaeger /Marijuana Moment)
Upcoming New England / Virtual Cannabis Events
10/21-10/22: New England Cannabis Research and Education Conference
East Connecticut State University.
10/25: Celebration of Cannabis Equity Champions Fundraising Social
Black Market Dudley, 6PM-8PM.
WELCOME DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK: Sumo Prime Time.
Japan Sumo Association’s official YouTube channel marks the sports first attempt to reach an English speaking audience on the internet. It includes highlights from recent tournaments, and offers some explainers that help you comprehend the sport, including this one that demonstrates why the bigger man doesn’t always win.
Like every organized sport, there’s some not so great things about sumo, but I can’t help me fascinated by it. Move over pickleball, it’s the next big thing.
CAT OF THE WEEK: News broke yesterday that Larry — previous Cat of the Week honoree, current chief mousekeeper at 10 Downing Street, and recent fox hunter — has outlasted yet another Prime Minister. We’ve already talked about him though, so let’s highlight another UK cat that is one of best mousers of all time: Tibs the Great.
Tibs was the British Post Office’s number one cat, keeping the headquarters mouse-free from 1950 to 1964. Good job, Tibs.