What It’s Like To Be The Only Vertically Integrated Dispensary On Nantucket Island

What does it mean to be “Vertically Integrated”?

Many summer travelers are coming to a cannabis-legal states for the first time. While others who are from the mainland of Massachusetts often ask us why they don’t see their well-known cannabis brands from back home. Most people are surprised to hear that we grow all our cannabis and hand craft all our products here at The Green Lady. Our flower is hand trimmed, our pre-rolls hand-rolled, and our cookies are freshly baked every day. The Green Lady provides our customers with an upscale, boutique cannabis experience that is often quite unique to the average cannabis tourist.

Why is The Green Lady Vertically Integrated?

Although it is extremely exciting to be a vertically integrated dispensary, it is not necessarily by choice. As we are on an island thirty-miles out at sea, and it is illegal to transport products through the federal waters or air space surrounding Nantucket. This means wholesale is never an option, and being the only dispensary on island, it is a challenge we are proud to have overcome.

What are the Challenges of a Vertically Integrated Cannabis Operation?

One of our biggest challenges is keeping up with the high demand for cannabis, especially in the summertime. We pride ourselves in our wide variety of products that we offer here at The Green Lady, from topicals to tinctures, flower to pre-rolls, and edibles to concentrates. Especially considering that we are quite small compared to other cultivation facilities on the mainland. We do not “mass produce” our products, everything is made small batch with love. Being so small and independent, we have lots of flexibility to be creative and easily customize our products to what our customers desire.

However, being on an island poses other challenges that a vertically integrated operations on the mainland would not have to worry about. Testing our own products is a big piece of this puzzle. Other dispensaries on the mainland can send their products to a lab, but for the same reasons we can’t wholesale other products off island, we can’t send our products to be tested by a laboratory either. Part owner, Nicole Campbell, created the first vertically integrated cannabis company that utilizes its own testing laboratory in the United States - officially approved by the Cannabis Control Commission in 2019, paving the way for other island dispensaries following suit.

What Do Dispensaries Test For?

Before anything can hit the sales floor we must test for everything including microbial contaminants, pesticides, mycotoxins, solvents, heavy metals, and a full spectrum of cannabinoids, as enforced by the CCC. We have always taken our on-site testing extremely seriously to establish a reputation that sets us apart from others. We will not settle for anything less than the highest quality cannabis for our beloved customers on Nantucket Island. Sometimes our testing process can cause delays in our product menu - but please rest assured it is for your own benefit! Health and safety is our top priority for all of our customers.

All that being said, this operation would not be possible without our knowledgeable cannabis chef, our experienced lab extract expert, and a fantastic team of growers to make sure we can adequately supply the Nantucket community and the summer crowd. Whatever the selection we have available, you can be certain that it is ethically and locally grown, on-site by a compliant and responsible company whose first priorities are always health and safety for the Nantucket community.