The three states now have an operational dispensary with drive-thru service to purchase either medical or recreational marijuana products.
If you’re a medical marijuana patient or an adult use marijuana consumer, being able to buy your legal cannabis without having to get out of your car may soon be commonplace. With marijuana legalization expanding to now 29 states across the U.S., dispensaries in three states have already expanded their service offerings to include drive-thru windows.
Colorado First in U.S. to Open Drive-Thru Marijuana Dispensary
Colorado became the first U.S. state to offer drive-thru marijuana retail service. Tumbleweed Express dispensary in Parachute, Colorado, opened its drive-thru window this past spring, just in time for this year’s unofficial cannabis holiday on 4/20. The express drive-thru, located in the western part of the state, sells recreational cannabis products in compliance with Colorado’s being the first state in the U.S. to legalize and implement an adult use marijuana law that permits adults aged 21 years and older to legally buy and possess marijuana.
The owner of Tumbleweed Express, Mark Smith, purchased an old car wash and turned it into what was initially the only drive-thru marijuana dispensary in the world. Customers can pull their cars into the store’s bay to purchase cannabis directly from their vehicles, although, under the law, no one younger than 21 is allowed to go through the drive-thru, even if riding in the back seat.
Arizona’s First Medical Marijuana Dispensary with Drive-Through
All Greens dispensary in Sun City, Arizona, opened its doors October 27, giving state-registered medical marijuana patients an opportunity to buy legal cannabis from their car. Housed in a facility that was formerly a bank with an already operating drive-thru, All Greens allows patients to conveniently and quickly purchase their cannabis products from a drive-up window.
First-time buyers must go into the facility for additional security checks but after that are able to use the drive-thru service by providing required identification documents and medical marijuana card. In Arizona, where medical marijuana has been legal since 2010, patients with a written certification from a physician can buy up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana every 14 days.
Nevada’s “First of Its Kind” Fast Food-Style Drive-Thru Window
NuWu Cannabis Marketplace, a marijuana megastore on Las Vegas Paiute tribal lands, added a drive-thru window onto its store on November 10. The facility’s original bank vault window was converted to a fast food-style window that offers a limited menu of popular items for recreational cannabis consumers, but customers can also order from the full menu online and pick up their order at the window.
While recreational marijuana has only been legal in Nevada since July 1, sales have already exceeded expectations and the state nearly ran out of product after less than two weeks after sales began. NuWu’s one-lane drive-thru is designed for those interested in a faster transaction, as well as for elderly and disabled customers who would prefer to stay in their vehicles. Like in Colorado, under Nevada law, every person in the car must be at least 21.
Find out if Marijuana Is Legal Where You Live
While marijuana remains prohibited under federal law, more than half of U.S. states have passed laws permitting the medical use of cannabis, and eight have legalized recreational marijuana. Find out about the cannabis laws where you live by visiting our education page.
