Cannabis dispensaries are relatively new and somewhat taboo in our society. With federal legalization (hopefully) on the horizon, we’ll probably see dispensaries continue to pop up around the country. Sira Naturals is one dispensary that has already gone ahead of the curve in the products and services they offer.
Sira Naturals is a medical cannabis dispensary with locations in Somerville and Needham, Massachusetts. Visitors have to be Massachusetts medical card holders to purchase products at their stores, though they expect to provide recreational cannabis in the future. In addition to two retail locations, there are over 20 dispensaries throughout the state that carry Sira Naturals’ products.
Quality is Everything
The team at Sira Naturals is passionate about the quality of the products they offer. The majority of their products are cultivated and manufactured in-house at their dispensaries. They produce a range of items including flower, pre-rolls, edibles and extractions.
They take particular pride in their flower cultivation, specifying that “everything they do starts with the quality of their plants,” said Jennifer Drake, a spokesperson for the company.
Sira Naturals uses an ongoing cycle to vet their strains. As such, they are constantly adding and removing new strains, according to their Staff-Patient Research and Development program. They also use phenotyping, a process that determines the expressed physical traits of a plant based on its DNA. That gives them the ability to breed strains that target specific effects (like pain relief).
The dispensary also offers cannabis from other growers around the state, sold either as flower or extracted and made into another product at Sira’s lab.
Sira Naturals’ infusions team specializes in creating edibles, most notably their Full Spectrum Wicked Sour Gummy. They also produce tinctures, topicals and personal lubricant. Their extraction artists also produce full-spectrum extracts and concentrates with a process that preserves the terpene content, which research suggests may influence the effects of a cannabis strain.
Community Commitment
Sira Naturals believes in working directly with the community to build relationships as well as welcoming people to join the cannabis industry.
Their Sira Community program offers cannabis education, community events and workforce development around Massachusetts. The company works with community partners to connect job seekers with, and prepare them for job opportunities in the industry. They have a focus of working with people who have been negatively affected by the War on Drugs, including minorities and veterans. Social equity is the heart of the program. As such, Sira Naturals strives to provide access and opportunities for people to thrive in the cannabis industry.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Dispensaries
The cannabis industry is on the rise. According to Forbes, cannabis sales were around 40% higher in 2020 than in 2019.
Sira Naturals’ customer base has continued to expand, only growing stronger throughout the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to Drake.
The company saw its customer base almost double in the second quarter of 2020 alone.
Sira Naturals has also seen an increase in online traffic, as well as the demand for delivery systems in the past year — thanks to social distancing restrictions. As a result, Sira Naturals’ delivery service is simplified. Customers can place an order on their website for doorside pickup or next-day delivery.
They also now offer virtual consultations for patients. The consultations are particularly helpful for those who find going to the dispensary or smoke shop intimidating.
Overall, Sira Naturals leads the Massachusett’s medical market by prioritizing patient understanding.
“We try to meet each and every one of our customers and patients where they are in their personal relationship with cannabis” said Drake. “We are committed to spending as much time as necessary with any and everyone so that they will feel comfortable with cannabis products and how they can contribute to overall well being,” she added.
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