RISE Dispensary in Dracut MA

RISE, where it all started in town

Every town has a first, and in Dracut, this is it. RISE Dispensary in Dracut MA, at 19 School Street off Pleasant Street in the Navy Yard District, was the first dispensary to open in Dracut, according to the Town of Dracut. Today it is part of RISE, a multi-state dispensary brand, but its roots are pure Merrimack Valley.

The setting is half the fun. The shop lives inside a restored historic mill, with brick walls, old hardwood floors and a fireplace on the sales floor. If you live in Dracut or Lowell, or you are rolling down from southern New Hampshire, here is everything to know before you visit.

Open since fall 2020

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission lists the store, recorded under its mill address of 76-100 Pleasant Street, as an active, licensed adult-use cannabis retailer, open since September 30, 2020.

The doors opened to shoppers on October 5, 2020, under the name GreenStar Herbals. The Town of Dracut’s economic development blog notes it was the first store to open after the town voted to allow retail marijuana facilities. The founder, Thomas Morey, is a Hudson, Massachusetts native who started the company after a career in the computer industry in California.

The RISE company later acquired the business, and the store took on the RISE name. The town’s economic development blog says the acquisition came in 2022. Longtime regulars noticed, too. “I have been coming to Rise in dracut since before when it was called Greenstar Herbals!” one shopper wrote in a review featured on the store’s own page.

A mill with a past

This is not your average strip mall storefront. According to the New England Real Estate Journal, the 13,000 square foot shop sits on the fourth floor of a former manufacturing building that had been empty for a long time. The builders restored the building envelope using the existing brick and refinished hardwood floors that were roughly 100 years old.

The building’s history runs deep. “This is a historic building where supplies for World War II were produced,” Morey told the Journal. “We honor that history and look forward to being a strong part of Dracut’s future.”

The renovation added new entrances from the parking area and an ADA-compliant ramp. Inside, the original plans called for a secure check-in reception, a retail floor with two seating areas (one of them with a fireplace) and a private consultation room. Artwork for the space came from Maynard ArtSpace. The result is a shop that feels warm and lived in, with the old mill character front and center against a clean, modern retail design.

The people make the place

RISE Dracut’s own page is full of shoppers naming their favorite staff members, which says a lot about the vibe here.

One reviewer called the staff “very professional very courteous polite” and added, “This is actually the only dispensary I go to because I feel very comfortable and always have from day one.” A first-time visitor described the experience as “refreshing” and said the employees were “helpful and very knowledgeable.” Another regular praised a budtender who is “always so happy to help.”

Speed gets a shout-out too. One shopper said the self-serve kiosks “were easy to use and made the experience quicker,” and noted that dedicated employees fill orders “so the line doesn’t get too long.” The whole visit, they said, “was quick and painless.”

RISE invites questions, too. The store page says cannabis questions are welcome and encourages you to “ask our Patient Care Specialists anything cannabis related.”

What’s on the menu

RISE Dracut is a recreational cannabis dispensary for adults 21 and over. The store describes a range of high and low-potency THC and CBD products, aimed at everyone from beginners to seasoned shoppers. The online menu is organized into flower, pre-rolls, vapes, edibles, concentrates, tinctures, topicals and CBD, plus gear and merch.

Deals change often, so check the RISE website before you go. You can also browse the menu by the kind of experience you are after, which is handy if you are not sure where to start.

Order online, pick up fast

RISE makes ordering ahead easy. The company’s step-by-step guide walks you through it: confirm you are 21 or older, choose RISE Dispensary Dracut as your store, browse and add items to your cart, then pick a pickup time and confirm your order. Sign in to your account and your order connects to your rewards.

When you arrive, head inside and grab your order. Easy online ordering is listed right on the store page as one of its amenities, along with free parking.

RISE Rewards

RISE Rewards is free to join. You fill out a short form, confirm by email, and start earning one point for every dollar you spend, online or in store. Points turn into cash back: the program page lists 100 points as $3, 500 points as $15 and 1,000 points as $30.

Members also get early access to deals and first access to new products, and points can be redeemed at any RISE dispensary. RISE says the program covers more than 90 dispensaries nationwide, which is a nice perk if you travel.

Giving back and good times

RISE says its focus is “always on our customers and the communities they live in.” The company commits to donating the opening day proceeds of every new store to local organizations, and its About page reports more than $3.5 million donated to nonprofits and organizations supporting community and education initiatives.

The Dracut store knows how to throw a party, too. On April 8, 2024, musician Marcus King stopped by RISE Dracut for a free meet and greet celebrating a new collaboration, and fans could enter a drawing for a signed guitar with no purchase required.

Tips from the RISE blog

RISE runs a busy blog called Cannabis Insider, and a few posts are perfect reading before your visit:

Start low, go slow. In its guide to microdosing, RISE recommends starting with a tiny dose and building up slowly. “Even a single milligram of THC can be a good starting point for some people,” the post says, while noting that the right amount is different for everyone.
Edibles take time. RISE’s post on edible myths says you will typically wait 30 to 90 minutes before feeling the effects. Eating on an empty stomach can speed things up, and a full stomach can slow them down.
Read the label. The same post points out that dispensary edibles are “precisely measured, lab-tested, and clearly labeled,” so check the THC per serving and the serving size before you dig in.
Learn your terpenes. Terpenes help give cannabis its smell and taste. RISE’s Terpenes 101 post describes limonene as “unmistakably sharp and tangy,” the compound behind a citrusy, lemony aroma that is also found in citrus plants and pine trees.

Plan your visit

Address. 19 School St, Dracut, MA 01826, off Pleasant Street in the Navy Yard District.

Hours. Monday through Saturday, 9am to 10pm. Sunday, 10am to 8pm.

Phone. (978) 319-9269.

Paying. The store page lists cash, debit cards and ACH payments, with a $2 fee on debit, and there is an ATM on site.

Parking and access. Plenty of free parking, and the store is listed as wheelchair accessible.

Adults 21+. RISE Dracut is an adult-use dispensary. Bring a valid, government-issued photo ID showing you are 21 or older. No medical card needed.

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. Dracut borders Pelham, New Hampshire, so this one matters if you live over the line.

Your first visit, step by step

Browse the menu. Pick RISE Dispensary Dracut on the website and look around.
Order ahead if you like. Choose a pickup time that works for you.
Bring your ID and payment. Cash, debit or ACH, with an ATM on site.
Ask questions. The team loves them, so do not be shy.
Join RISE Rewards. Start earning points on your first purchase.

Make a day of it in Dracut

Dracut is a Middlesex County town of 32,617 people (2020 census), about 30 miles northwest of Boston. It is the second-most populous town in Massachusetts with an open town meeting. Settlers arrived around 1653, and the town was incorporated on February 26, 1701, after separating from Chelmsford across the Merrimack River.

Long before that, the Pennacook people fished at Pawtucket Falls on the Merrimack. In the 19th century, Dracut’s economy moved from fishing, lumbering and milling to paper making and cotton textiles, including the Beaver Brook Mill, and Irish and French-Canadian immigrants came to work in the mills. The mill building that RISE now calls home is part of that story.

The town is split into nine business districts, including the Navy Yard, Collinsville, Dracut Center and Kenwood. Beaver Brook runs right through the middle of town, and the Merrimack River forms its southern edge. Christ Church United, known as the “Old Yellow Meeting House,” stands at the center of town where Routes 38 and 113 meet, and every September since 2001 the town has celebrated Old Home Day.

RISE Dracut is about a 3-minute drive from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and the store suggests stopping in before or after a visit to nearby Collinsville or Veterans Memorial Park. Routes 38, 110 and 113 all run through Dracut, and the LRTA Route 10 bus connects to the Lowell station on the MBTA Lowell Line.

Why RISE Dracut is worth the stop

Dracut’s very first dispensary, a beautifully restored mill with century-old floors and a fireplace, budtenders that regulars call out by name, quick kiosks and rewards that travel with you: RISE Dracut has a lot going for it. Make a loop through the Navy Yard District, grab a coffee nearby and come see the old mill for yourself.

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