Nature’s Medicines Dispensary in Wareham MA

A Cranberry Highway stop that lets you wander

Heading down Route 28 toward Cape Cod? Before you hit the bridges, there is a dispensary in East Wareham that does things a little differently. Nature’s Medicines Dispensary in Wareham MA, at 3119 Cranberry Highway in Jordan Plaza, was built so you can walk in and look around. No waiting in a long line at the door, no rushing. You browse the displays, you ask questions, and then you shop.

That was the plan from day one. When the store opened, dispensary manager Jacqueline Robillard told Wareham Week, “We try to create a mature shopping experience.” If you want a calm, take-your-time kind of cannabis stop on the way to the beach, here is everything you need to know.

Open since 2022

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission lists 3119 Cranberry Highway as an active, licensed adult-use cannabis retailer, open since March 14, 2022.

The store opened its doors to the public a few weeks later. Wareham Week reported that Nature’s Medicines welcomed its first customers on April 6, 2022, and that business had been steady from opening day. The company’s own announcement that spring put the opening on the same date and described the shop as sitting just outside Cape Cod, which is a fair way to sum up East Wareham.

From appliance store to dispensary

The building has a past life that plenty of locals will remember. Wareham Week described the site as the old Sears Appliance store in Jordan Plaza, a strip mall on Cranberry Highway. When the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals approved the special permit back in 2019, the plans were simple: keep the building, use the side door as the main entrance, and add an accessible ramp near the handicapped parking spaces. The plaza has 72 shared parking spaces, so finding a spot is usually easy.

It took a while to get from permit to opening day. Wareham Week noted that the company had been working on a Wareham location since 2018. The state’s final retail license came through in February 2022, and the doors opened that April.

The last of three

Wareham keeps its cannabis scene small on purpose. The town set its own cap of three retail dispensaries, and Wareham Week reported that Nature’s Medicines was the third and final shop to get a license under that limit. So if you are shopping in Wareham, you are shopping at one of only three stores the town allows. That makes each one a bit of a local landmark.

Room to roam

Here is the part regulars like most. At many dispensaries, you wait in a line from the entrance and step up to a counter when it is your turn. Wareham Week pointed out that this store was set up differently from the company’s other Massachusetts shops: customers walk freely through the main room and look at products in the display cases before they buy.

The space helps. The company’s opening announcement put the store at about 4,326 square feet, with a large floor plan and open spaces set aside for education. Store leaders are on hand for one-on-one explanations before you sit down with a budtender, so you can figure out what you want before you get to the counter. For first-timers, that extra bit of guidance can turn a nervous visit into an easy one.

The education hub

The heart of the store is what the team calls its education hub. It is a spot where you can talk with staff about products and how they work, with no pressure to buy. “Consultation can really range and vary,” Robillard told Wareham Week. “Our menu is quite extensive.”

One fun detail from that first visit: the manager kept a binder on terpenes, listing which ones showed up in the store’s products. If you have ever wondered why two strains smell so different, ask about it. Terpenes are the aroma compounds behind those piney, citrusy or earthy notes, and a good conversation about them can make shopping a lot easier.

Who runs the shop

Nature’s Medicines calls itself a family-owned dispensary on its about page, and its 2022 announcement says the company was founded in 2014. Its tagline is “Where Self-Care Begins.” The company says its products are third-party tested, and that its growers skip harmful pesticides and fungicides. Wareham was its third adult-use store in Massachusetts, after Uxbridge and Fall River.

What’s on the menu

The Wareham menu covers the main categories: flower, pre-rolls, vape cartridges, concentrates, edibles, topicals and accessories. On opening week, Wareham Week spotted edibles, vapes and concentrates in the cases. Menus change often, so check the online menu before you go to see what is in stock that day.

Shopping tips from the Nature’s Medicines blog

The Nature’s Medicines education pages are worth a look before your first visit. Two ideas stand out.

Keep a journal. The company’s post on THC suggests you “consider keeping a journal of the products you’ve tried and how they made you feel.” Jot down the product, the amount and how the experience went. Next time you visit, you can show your notes to staff and skip the guesswork.

Learn what is inside. The same post points out that “understanding which cannabinoids and terpenes are present as you sample different strains” can help you choose. That fits right in with the terpene talk at the education hub. Look at the label, note the cannabinoids and terpenes, and ask questions about anything you do not recognize.

Shop around with purpose. The company’s guide to choosing a Massachusetts dispensary has a few smart questions to ask anywhere you shop: how big the selection is, what the prices are once tax is added, how friendly and informed the staff are, and what they would suggest for someone who is new to cannabis.

Plan your visit

Address. 3119 Cranberry Highway, East Wareham, MA, in Jordan Plaza.

Hours. Monday through Saturday, 8am to 10pm. Sunday, 10am to 8pm, as listed on Leafly. Call ahead around holidays.

Phone. (508) 927-1975.

Parking. Shared plaza parking out front, with handicapped spaces near the side ramp.

Payment. Leafly lists cash and an ATM on site, so bring cash to be safe.

Order ahead. Leafly lists same-day pickup. Pick your products online and they will be ready when you arrive.

Adults 21+. Wareham is an adult-use store. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID showing you are 21 or older.

Massachusetts cannabis basics

Here are the state rules from the Cannabis Control Commission:

Age. 21 or older, with a government-issued ID for every retail purchase.
Carrying. Up to two ounces in public.
At home. Up to 10 ounces, and anything over two ounces must be locked up.
Where to use it. Not in public places and not on federal land.
In the car. No open containers in the passenger area. Use a closed container in the trunk or a locked glove compartment, and never drive under the influence.
State lines. It is illegal to take cannabis out of Massachusetts, and it cannot be mailed. Heading over the bridges to the Cape is fine, since it is still Massachusetts, but nothing goes across a state line.

Your first visit, step by step

Check the menu online. See what is in stock before you leave home.
Bring your ID. A valid government-issued photo ID showing you are 21 or older.
Take a lap. Walk the main room and look over the display cases at your own pace.
Stop at the education hub. Ask about terpenes, potency or anything else on your mind.
Start a journal. Note what you bought and how it went, so your next visit is even easier.

Make a day of it in Wareham

Wareham is a Plymouth County town of 23,303 people (2020 census). Europeans settled it in 1678 as part of Plymouth and Rochester, and it was incorporated in 1739. It is made up of several villages, including East Wareham, Onset, Point Independence, Wareham Center and West Wareham.

Cranberries run deep here. The industry long dominated the local economy, which is why Route 28 through town is known as Cranberry Highway. The UMass Cranberry Research Station is in Wareham too.

For years, Wareham was known as the “Gateway to Cape Cod.” In 2020 the town adopted a new slogan, “It’s Better Before the Bridges,” to remind travelers that Wareham is a destination of its own. Route 28 meets U.S. Route 6 in East Wareham, so the store sits right where the road starts to point toward the Cape.

Want some salt air? Head to Onset, a village developed in the 1880s as a summer camp meeting for Spiritualists, when it was called Onset Bay Grove. Today it is known for Onset Beach, a protected beach in a broad cove next to a pier. History fans can look up the Tremont Nail Factory District, and in summer you can catch the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League. The seasonal CapeFLYER train has stopped at Wareham Village station since 2014, and GATRA runs local bus service.

Why Nature’s Medicines Wareham is worth the stop

A former appliance store turned into an open, browse-first shop. An education hub where questions are welcome. One of only three dispensaries in town, sitting on Cranberry Highway right before the bridges. Nature’s Medicines Wareham is an easy, relaxed stop whether you live in town or are just passing through on your way to the Cape. Take a lap, ask a question and enjoy the drive.

Cannabis is for adults 21 and over. Please consume responsibly.