Cannabis to go? Rhode Island's newest RI drive-thru has a lot of buzz, says Mark Patinkin
I headed to Pawtucket to see the latest sign of the times.
It's a new drive-thru with a typical electronic menu screen, and a microphone where you give your order, but you can’t get burgers there.
Or shakes.
You can’t get cappuccinos either.
But you can get weed.
That is what Joe Pakuris is saying as he stands proudly by New England’s first cannabis drive-thru at his Mother Earth Wellness dispensary in Pawtucket. He had told me about it by phone, but I didn't expect it to look so much like, well, an actual McDonald's-like drive-thru. It does.
As we chat, a car pulls up to order.
A gentleman inside gives his name as T, age 30 – he’s with Nina, 26. T says he’s here for medical marijuana and tells me Mother Earth deserves the label “compassion center” because they show customers a lot of it, the drive-thru being the latest example.
T uses weed for back pain. Better than Advil, T says, without the side effects, such as being rough on your stomach.
I tell T that my own experience with such a purchase was a guy selling pot behind the dorm.
“In a baggy,” T adds, smiling.
Next, a pickup truck pulls up. The driver is happy to give his name – Matthew Sharest, 42.
He was here to buy some pre-rolls, and he tells me he loves the drive-thru for the same reason that half of America buys Big Macs or coffee that way.
“So convenient,” he says. “It’s like Burger King.”
Matthew adds that he’s not big on fast food. I don’t blame him. That stuff’s not good for you.
“But this is pretty cool,” he says.
Matthew has been a roofer for 15 years and says he would never go near weed on the job – it can be sketchy up there. But it's a good way to relax off duty.
He shares that he lives with his teen son and 60-something retired parents, both of whom don’t mind an occasional puff themselves, and Mother Earth is their place.
As Matthew moves on to be handed his order up ahead, Joe Pakuris, the owner, says he feels good he can make this easy for folks, who clearly like the drive-thru. It’s now about 30% of his sales, along with a parallel pickup line for those who call in advance. You know, like pizza.
When I ask why he added it, he explains that some people have a stigma about buying weed, while others might have disabilities, but most just like the convenience.
I turn to study the electronic menu screen where, instead of Whoppers or Grandes, there is an amusing array of cannabis choices. "Array" is actually an understatement. There are so many options that Joe has put up three huge screens that refresh every 20 or so seconds with still more choices.
Like, if you’re into “flower,” you can get “Mandarin Spritz,” Mimosa Cake,” “Outlaw Applesauce,” or “Super Orange Soda.” And dozens more. “Flower” means loose weed, like what came in that baggy back in the day.
The second screen has a ton of “vape” choices, like “Strawberry Milano,” and then there are edibles, including “Marshmallow Krisp Bars,” chocolates, gummies and, I’m not kidding, some infused Del’s lemonade mini-bottles.
And Starbucks thought they had a big menu.
More: Providence ranked No. 10 in the US as a 'weed city,' beating Boston. Here's why.
Mother Earth, Joe tells me, is one of seven dispensaries in the state – second in size to RISE in Warwick. Joe says he’s glad the state has a big cannabis industry – he buys product from dozens of Rhode Island cultivators but also has a big grow operation himself inside his mill building by Interstate 95.
That’s where he also runs Kitchen & Countertop Center of New England, and when you go inside the store itself you see the influence – it’s a gorgeous interior with marble counters.
It’s also a lively place, with plenty of customers, and my eye is drawn toward one, because you don’t expect to see a gray-haired lady in the weed shop.
I approach her, and she gives only her first name, Jane, but is happy to pose for photos.
Jane grew up in Warren and now lives in Washington state, but she's back to visit a friend and decided to come to Mother Earth to buy a bit of fun, which makes sense, because that’s exactly the word you would use to describe Jane.
I tell her I might have thought folks in their 70s don’t use pot.
“No, no, no honey,” says Jane, “we started it.
What did she come in for today?
“Gummies.”
It helps her fibromyalgia – not a common ailment I recall among those buying weed behind the dorm 40 years ago.
But Jane also just enjoys some cannabis once a week or so, usually buying the oil to add to her cooking. "Same way people have a glass of wine,” said Jane.
More: More Providence cannabis shops? These are the neighborhoods where they could be allowed.
“So you like to have fun?” I asked.
“When I was on Touisset Point,” she said of her Warren days, “there was a party at my house every Saturday and every Tuesday. I was the party house, hon.”
Then she asked if I didn’t also partake back then.
“Well,” I said, “I might have tried it once or twice.”
“Damn straight you did,” said Jane. “We started it.”
I let Jane continue with her shopping and headed back outside.
Where a few cars were lined up for pickup.
And one was, yes, heading into the marijuana drive-thru.
I even heard a voice over the loudspeaker begin to ask for the driver’s order.
Sign of the times, indeed.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI's drive-thru pot shop is a hit with customers, says Mark Patinkin
