Circle K signs deal with US cannabis supplier to sell marijuana at 10 Florida gas stations

Floridians with medical marijuana cards will soon be able to fill cannabis prescriptions while filling their tanks at select Circle K locations across the state.

A partnership between Green Thumb Industries and Circle K will allow the supermarket chain to sell medical marijuana in addition to 10 of its 600 Florida locations.

Products will be available at adjacent Circle K locations under the name ‘RISE Express’, which will have a separate entrance from the supermarket. The stores are expected to open in 2023.

All products are sold only to Florida residents with medical marijuana cards — an estimated 700,000 people in the state, according to the Florida Department of Health.

The new deal will provide the US with its first non-hemp-based THC products at gas stations, along with alcohol as another over 21 product sold in convenience stores.

Despite future sales taking place just steps away from where drivers fill their tanks, driving under the influence of marijuana is still illegal in every state — even if you have a prescription.

Green Thumb CEO Ben Kovler said the deal “continues to normalize” marijuana products by providing “more access to cannabis.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has previously… stated: that he is against fully legalizing the use of marijuana in the state.

The DeSantis office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com about the upcoming gas station pharmacies.

“The opening of RISE Express stores at Circle K locations is a game-changer,” Kovler said. “Convenience is a strong channel in retail, and people want more access to cannabis.”

Green Thumb currently operates medical marijuana dispensaries throughout Florida. Some of their 600 locations in the state are in Bonita Springs, Deerfield Beach, Hallandale Beach, Kendall, Oviedo, Pinellas Park, and West Palm Beach.

Should the Circle K store expansion be successful — in addition to Green Thumb’s new 28-area growing facility in Ocala — Kovler said “there is an appetite” to continue expanding to other Circle K locations in the US.

Since opening its first stores in Mundelein, Illinois in 2014, Green Thumb has: expanded its RISE stores to 67 locations in 11 states, including seven in Florida.

Circle K already has a deal with another cannabis retailer, Fire & Flower Holdings Corp., in Canada, which follows the same model suggested by Green Thumb.

Florida is one of eight states to legalize only medical marijuana, including Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Utah, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota.

Florida currently has more than 450 pharmacies, according to Pot Guide.

Voters in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota will decide in November whether to legalize marijuana for residents 21 or older, changing the rules in states with a combined population of nearly 16 million.

If those states vote for adult use, about half of the U.S. population would live in areas where the possession and use of marijuana is legal for adults.

National polls show that three in five voters support federal legalization of marijuana.

In fact, according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll, support for legalization in Maryland is even stronger than the national average — 73 percent favor 21-somethings getting high.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urge drivers to avoid using marijuana when operating a vehicle.

The “mind-altering” psychoactive “affects areas of the brain that control the body’s movement, balance, coordination, memory and judgment,” according to the CDC. writes.

It can also affect driving critical skills, including distorted perception, amnesia, problem solving and slower reaction times.

Studies have shown that the risk of being involved in a crash is higher after using marijuana, according to the CDC.