Weed is coming to Circle K

Green Thumb Industries, a billion-dollar global cannabis retailer, announced Wednesday that it’s signed a deal with the convenience-store brand Circle K to sell weed at Florida gas stations. The partnership rolls out next year, according to the announcement, starting with a pilot phase first at 10 of the state’s 600 Circle K locations.

Under the agreement, Green Thumb will lease space from Circle K. These weed outposts—dubbed RISE Expresses—will function as separate dispensaries with their own entrances, mimicking that firewall-style setup in certain states for liquor sales at supermarkets like Walmart. Also lawfully, these new stores can only sell low-THC cannabis and other medical-marijuana products licensed by the state of Florida, which has legalized the drug’s medical use. Notwithstanding, Green Thumb says it will be hawking a selection of branded goodies that include “RYTHM premium flower, Dogwalkers pre-rolls, Incredibles gummies, and &Shine vapes.”

Green Thumb CEO Ben Kovler calls the deal “a game-changer” that will finally allow people to “purchase high-quality cannabis as part of their everyday routine when stopping by their local convenience store.” It likely marks a first for any country worldwide, and proponents like Kovler believe it could give marijuana a firmer nudge toward becoming more fully mainstream.

Convenience stores would also seem to be ideal spots for a major player like Green Thumb to add dispensaries. They’re already Americans’ go-to destination for quick cigarette packs and six-packs of beer (and, maybe if you include their parking lots, sacks of weed, too). It can’t hurt that the shopping experience is typically more anonymous, or that a number of them have been stocking a wide array of legal CBD products for a while.

On the federal level, President Joe Biden just pardoned thousands of Americans who have been convicted of simple marijuana possession, but cannabis still remains a Schedule I controlled substance. Because Florida permits the medical use of weed, Green Thumb’s Circle K outlets will, in theory, be able to sell their products only to customers carrying the state’s medical marijuana card. But in perhaps the biggest sign of the changing times, the state says that’s about 700,000 people right now—roughly one in every 30 Floridians.