Why smoke marijuana if you can drink it?
That is the question posed by Theory Wellness, the Massachusetts weed company behind the upcoming first beverage dispensary in the state. With the launch of its Medford “package store” for cannabis — which won its final state approval Thursday — Theory is betting that a dispensary dedicated to drinks may entice novice consumers accustomed to booze and perhaps intimidated or turned off by smoking products.
Chief executive Brandon Pollock said the Hi5 Beverage Dispensary will sell Theory’s own Hi5 cannabis seltzers, sodas, and energy drinks, alongside a gaggle of other brands’ buzzy beverages infused with THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis that produces a high feeling. All the traditional staples — think flower, edibles, and joints — will be up for sale next door in a semiattached Theory Wellness dispensary.
Wynter Durant, manager at Theory Wellness, helped a customer with her cannabis seltzer purchase at the dispensary in Great Barrington in 2022. Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Theory first started selling its cannabis drinks in 2021 and watched the market explode soon thereafter, with marijuana-infused beverages being sold in dispensaries across Massachusetts and the potential to become a nearly $4 billion industry nationwide by 2030. The storefront