Potco in Massachusetts Aims to Become the Costco of Weed

“Potco: Everything that goes in the POT…”

That’s what the sign outside a Massachusetts shop reads, and the intention is to make it clear what’s on sale inside.

As a provider of cannabis cultivation equipment, Potco began by running their business below the radar when they opened last May.

When customers came in to check out fertilizers, grow lamps, growing tents and other supplies—then asked advice on growing “tomatoes”—Potco owner Dave Mech knew no one was really asking about fruits or veggies.

So, now Potco is coming out.

“It’s time for people to stop winking,” Mech told Masslive.com. “Too many people are not getting their medicine.”

Mech, who calls Potco the “Costco of pot,” said his vision was to be the one-stop shop for medical cannabis patients and to eliminate the burden on MMJ patients by making it more accessible to people who need it.

“You should be able to get your [grow] medium at the same place that you get other medical marijuana-related products, and see your doctor there,” Mech said. “It just seems like the future, the way all the big box stores are going.”

Mech said he hopes people will soon feel comfortable shopping in his store as marijuana gains more social and legal acceptance with states around the country, including Massachusetts, one of the states voting on legalization this November.

Potco also rents space to Community Health Clinics, which certifies eligible patients to use medical marijuana.

Mech, previously an entertainment attorney, sees the tide turning for cannabis—and not a moment too soon. His hope is that MMJ will stem the tide of opioid addiction in the U.S. by treating chronic pain.

“My goal is to get as many people off opioids as possible,” Mech said.

He would like to open Potco locations across the country, but the laws will have to catch up first, especially regarding CBD.

“There’s a lot of people who won’t smoke marijuana, which means the CBD business is going to be as big, or bigger, than marijuana in the future,” Mech said.

from http://ift.tt/2b3jhML
by Maureen Meehan at High Times