Eastie’s Berkshire Roots to Become Second Recreational Marijuana Shop in Boston

East Boston’s first adult use retail marijuana facility planned for Meridian Street will now open any day according to Western Mass’s Berkshire Roots, Inc.

Berkshire Roots received its final license from the Cannabis Control Commission to open shop at 253 Meridian St. and once open it will become only the second adult use shop to open in Boston. Pure Oasis, an adult-use marijuana dispensary located in the Grove Hall neighborhood of Dorchester, opened in March.

“We’re following in the footsteps of thousands of newcomers to East Boston in the past 300 years,” said Berkshire Roots in a statement. “Berkshire Roots will be bringing our award-winning dispensary and cannabis product line up to the city of Boston. We hope you’re as excited as we are. Serving adult use customers, we will be located at 253 Meridian Street, East Boston. Just minutes walk from the Maverick Square T stop on the Blue line, Berkshire Roots is opening up in a lovely little neighborhood that we’re glad to be becoming a part of.”

Berkshire roots received community support from the Eagle Hill Civic Association and was later granted a Conditional Use Permit by the Boston Zoning Board of Appeals last year.

Berkshire Roots is the largest grower of cannabis in Western Massachusetts and was the first medical marijuana dispensary to open in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Berkshire Roots’s Meridian Street shop includes 1,400 sq. ft. retail space on the first floor of the building that the company says will be a sleek and stylish dispensary with façade improvement and subtle and understated signage.

There will be no cultivation, processing, or packaging on site. There would also be no product consumption on site and the product would not be visible from the street.

There will be a security guard at the front door. When a potential customer enters, he or she must present either a valid Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Card or a valid state license or identification card proving the customer is over 21 years of age. Between the front door and the actual dispensary is a locked door. The front door and internal ‘locked’ door are never open at the same time. Once the customer is approved by the security guard an employee inside the dispensary would have to activate a buzzer for the internal door to allow the customer inside.

Aside from paying the city three percent of its sales per quarter, Berkshire Roots also agreed to install security cameras in and around the business and to participate in public safety and beautification initiatives in and around the business.

According to the agreement with the city, there will be no benches or social gathering areas in or around the business and Berkshire Roots agrees to prohibit smoking, vaping or any other form of consumption of marijuana onsite. The company also agrees to share data and reports to the Boston Public Health Commission as well as assist in the dissemination of materials related to public health, public safety and prevention efforts.

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