Ocean Breeze Dispensary in Gloucester MA

Ocean Breeze, grown in Gloucester and sold in Gloucester

There is something special about buying from the people who grow it. Ocean Breeze Cultivators is a “family-run cannabis company located in Gloucester,” and its retail store at 9 Whistlestop Way puts the company’s own shop right in its hometown. Ocean Breeze calls Gloucester “the oldest fishing port in the country,” and it says it chose the city because it was “inspired by the hard work and grit that runs through the town’s history.” Read on for everything to know before you visit Ocean Breeze Dispensary in Gloucester MA.

That sea salt spirit is all over the brand, from its name to its story. If you live on Cape Ann or you are passing through for a day at the beach, here is how to get to know Ocean Breeze Dispensary in Gloucester MA.

Open since 2024

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission lists 9 Whistlestop Way as an active, licensed adult-use cannabis retailer, open since July 8, 2024. Later that month, the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce listed a ribbon cutting for July 18, 2024, to celebrate the grand opening of the company’s “first retail cannabis dispensary.”

A grower first

Ocean Breeze started as a cultivator. Collective Cannabis, one of the stores that carries its products, describes it as a family-run business “founded in 2018 in Gloucester, MA.” Ocean Breeze says it “landed here to build our flagship space,” and that space is a big one.

According to the company, its facility covers 43,000 square feet. The grow rooms are about 2,200 square feet each, lined with insulated aluminum panels and fitted with multi-tier growing tables and air movers in every room. Lighting mixes LEDs with a checkerboard pattern of HPS and CMH fixtures, and nutrient levels are checked by a third party. Put simply, a lot of care goes into each plant before it ever reaches a shelf.

Meet the family

Ocean Breeze says, “Our team is an extension of our family,” a group of people “who share our motivation to work hard and work together.” The About page introduces the people behind the brand:

Andrew Schwartz, CEO and Founder. An Endicott College business graduate who, before Ocean Breeze, “spent time working on a critically-acclaimed documentary, Sacred Cod.” He wanted to build a local business that could help shape Gloucester’s economic future.
Sam Schwartz, Director of Security and Operations. He brings a criminal justice background, including time as a police officer in New Orleans and security work at Amherst College museums.
Dave Fernandes, Director of Cultivation. A Gloucester native and longtime grower who doubles as “an award-winning photographer, capturing the beauty of Gloucester.”
Aaron Sameiro, Executive Infusion Chef. Trained in culinary arts, he focuses on developing high-quality infused products.
Jack Meehan, Director of Operations. Another Endicott College graduate, with a degree in business management and a past life as a campaign finance accountant.

A filmmaker, a former police officer, a photographer, a chef and an accountant walk into a grow room. It sounds like the start of a joke, but in Gloucester it is the start of a cannabis company.

Gloucester grown, found across Massachusetts

The Gloucester store is the company’s home base, but Ocean Breeze products travel. Its website lists partner dispensaries from Attleboro and Fall River to Worcester, Haverhill, Billerica and Williamstown. If you have spotted the name on a menu somewhere else in the state, Whistlestop Way is where the story starts.

Hours for early birds and night owls

Ocean Breeze keeps some of the longest hours around. The store opens at 8am Monday through Saturday and at 10am on Sunday, and it stays open until 10pm every night. Whether you are coming off an early fishing boat or heading home from a late dinner downtown, the door is open.

Shopping at Ocean Breeze

The Ocean Breeze website has a Shop Now section where you can browse and order. Menus at a grower’s own store can change as new harvests come in, so check the site or call (978) 865-3442 before you go if you are after something specific.

New to cannabis? Do not be shy about asking questions at the counter. Ocean Breeze is a grower first, and the store is the place to learn what is fresh from the latest harvest.

Visiting Cape Ann? Know before you go

Gloucester draws plenty of day trippers and summer visitors, and the Cannabis Control Commission has a few tips for anyone from out of state:

Bring ID. Visitors need to be 21 or older with a valid government-issued ID.
Keep it in Massachusetts. Cannabis bought here has to be used here. It cannot cross state lines by car, plane, train or boat.
Check your stay. Hotels and rentals set their own rules, so check the policy before you light up.
Plan your ride. Driving under the influence is illegal. Use public transit, a rideshare or a sober driver.
Store it safely. The Commission recommends childproof packaging, kept away from children and pets.

Thinking about growing at home? Adults 21 and over may grow up to six plants for personal use, or up to 12 in a home with two or more adults, and plants must not be visible from public view.

Plan your visit

Address. 9 Whistlestop Way, Gloucester, MA 01930.

Hours. Monday through Saturday 8am to 10pm, and Sunday 10am to 10pm.

Phone. (978) 865-3442.

Payment. Directory listings show cash and debit. Call ahead to confirm.

ID. You must be 21 or older with a valid government-issued ID.

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. In a harbor town, note that the Commission says this includes travel by boat.

Your first visit, step by step

Check the hours. Doors open at 8am most days and stay open until 10pm.
Browse online. The Shop Now section on the website shows what is available.
Bring your ID. A valid government-issued ID showing you are 21 or older.
Ask what is new. Fresh harvests mean the menu keeps changing.
Pack it right. A closed container in the trunk or a locked glove compartment for the ride home.

Make a day of it in Gloucester

Gloucester is an Essex County city of 29,729 people (2020 census), and the sea has shaped almost everything about it. The first schooner was reputedly built here in 1713, and by the mid 1700s Gloucester fishermen were sailing all the way to the Grand Banks. Gorton’s of Gloucester got its start in 1849 as John Pew and Sons, and Clarence Birdseye, the founder of the modern frozen food industry, is tied to the city too. Even today the harbor works hard: in 2013, Gloucester ranked 21st among U.S. fishing ports, with 62 million pounds of seafood landed, worth an estimated $42 million. Gloucester’s roots in Massachusetts history run deep, too: Roger Conant, governor under the Cape Ann patent, is often called the first governor of Massachusetts.

Gloucester stories have traveled far. Rudyard Kipling set Captains Courageous here in 1897, and the 1937 film version starred Spencer Tracy. The Perfect Storm tells the story of a 1991 storm, and the movie was filmed in Gloucester.

If you visit in late June, you are in luck. St. Peter’s Fiesta, held the last weekend of the month to honor the patron saint of fishermen, brings a nine-day novena, the blessing of the fleet and the famous greasy pole contest.

For a slower afternoon, there is plenty to explore:

Hammond Castle. Inventor John Hays Hammond Jr. built it between 1926 and 1929 to show off Roman, medieval and Renaissance artifacts.
Beauport. Henry Davis Sleeper built this house between 1907 and 1934, working with architect Halfdan Hanson.
Dogtown. An inland stretch of cellar holes and stone walls where a small settlement once stood.
Eastern Point. A finger of land about two miles long that separates the eastern harbor from Massachusetts Bay.
The beaches. Good Harbor Beach, where the film Author! Author! was shot, and Wingaersheek Beach are local favorites.
The parks. Ravenswood Park and Mount Ann Park rank with Stage Fort Park among the city’s largest green spaces.

History buffs can also stop at the Sargent House Museum, once the home of Judith Sargent Murray and John Murray. And do not stop at downtown: Gloucester is a city of distinct villages, including Annisquam, Lanesville, Magnolia, Riverdale, Bay View and Folly Cove. Pick one and wander.

Fun fact: Rockport used to be part of Gloucester. The area known as Sandy Bay split off on February 27, 1840.

Getting here is easy. Route 128 ends in Gloucester, crossing the Annisquam River on the A. Piatt Andrew Memorial Bridge, and Route 133 also ends in the city. From the bridge you can see the Annisquam River, which flows north through the city into Ipswich Bay.

Why Ocean Breeze Gloucester is worth the stop

A family-run grower with a 43,000 square foot home base, a team with stories as colorful as the harbor, and hours that start at 8am most days: Ocean Breeze Gloucester brings the grow room to the counter in what it calls the oldest fishing port in the country. Stop in on your way to Good Harbor Beach.

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