How Greenlight is flipping the stigma of cannabis culture to create educational opportunities for medical marijuana patients.
For the past several months Greenlight has hosted patients and vendors at a tongue-in-cheek medical marijuana speakeasy inside its Independence location. While the Underground experience and branding may at first appear scandalous, the implementation and execution create a unique customer experience for patients.
“The patients are brought an experience unlike a typical sales floor where they can speak directly with the manufactures and cultivators who make their medicine. This allows the patient to further educate themselves on products available to them and it all starts with walking through a concrete tunnel that makes them feel like they are Underground when they come out the other side. And bonus for patients, the vendors always bring some great specials with them,” explained Greenlight Director of Purchasing, Jessica Squires.
Greenlight will host its sixth iteration of the Underground on March 4&5. The experience has become wildly popular with both patients and vendors.
“Greenlight saw the need in this new market for a space where patients could fully understand their options and to help bridge the gap between the Missouri cultivators and manufacturers and the patients they are creating medicine for. The addition of the tunnel and Underground atmosphere was to make this an experience the patient wants to come back for.
“Each Underground weekend has been different and exciting. This experience is not just for patients but for the cultivators and manufacturers to hear from, and really listen to what the patients are looking for, which is valuable for everyone when it comes to Missouri medical marijuana.”
In addition to the atmosphere, specials, and ability to learn in person – the underground has another added benefit, variety.
“[The] experience changes the way patients are educating themselves. The licensed cultivators and manufacturers switch up every month allowing patients to try new products and discover what really works for them and the ailments they are looking for relief from, as we all know each person has a completely different endocannabinoid system.”
For Greenlight, the Underground is just another step forward in their mission of education and community involvement.
“The culture at Greenlight is built on education and engagement. Greenlight first started partnering with multiple doctors to help provide low-cost doctor patient evaluations. Greenlight now also partners with Appetite for Humanity to provide meals for surrounding communities,” Squires said. “The Underground is an additional step to engagement by bridging that gap between vendors and patients allowing for open dialogue and education straight from the source.
The Underground is hosted the first Friday and Saturday of each month from 12p to 8p. While patients outside of the Kansas City area may not have gotten the chance to enjoy the Underground experience firsthand yet, there is hope as both the Joplin and Ferguson locations look to open additional sales floors in spring of 2022.
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