Thrive, two doors in one
Tucked away on Ricciuti Drive in West Quincy, Thrive Dispensary in Quincy MA does double duty. Thrive’s Quincy page says the store “serves both the medical and adult use cannabis communities,” so adults 21 and older and registered medical patients can both shop here.
The building has one of the longest cannabis histories in the city. It was Quincy’s first medical marijuana dispensary, it later became Panacea Wellness, and today it carries the Thrive name. Here is the story, plus everything you need to plan a visit.
Quincy’s first medical dispensary
This site got started early. On October 5, 2016, WHDH reported that Quincy’s first medical marijuana dispensary was opening that day, run by a nonprofit called Ermont, based in the Quarry Hills section of West Quincy. For the first two weeks, it saw patients by appointment only.
Ermont made a name for itself in an unexpected way. In 2017, CBS Boston reported that the dispensary had a kitchen as well as labs, growing areas and a retail space, and that its team, with years of experience in Boston restaurants, was infusing sauces and ingredients for edibles. That menu even included pizza, made for registered patients.
From Panacea Wellness to Thrive
In 2023, the company behind Panacea took over the Ermont operation and reopened the store as Panacea Wellness in March of that year. The next step was adult-use sales. The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission lists 216 Ricciuti Drive as an active, licensed adult-use cannabis retailer, open since June 28, 2024. The Patriot Ledger reported that the store received its dual license on July 1 and started recreational sales the next day, making it Quincy’s second recreational shop.
To get ready, the store grew. The Patriot Ledger reported a new 3,500-square-foot sales floor, three and a half times the size of the original. Medical and adult-use customers come into the same space, then order from separate kiosks and menus. A ribbon cutting was set for July 11, 2024.
Today the store goes by Thrive, the name its company uses across its dispensaries, with Quincy listed as both a recreational and a medical location on Thrive’s Massachusetts page.
Part of the Thrive family
Thrive runs dispensaries in five states: Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts and Ohio. The Massachusetts trio is Quincy, Beverly on the North Shore and Middleborough to the south. Quincy and Middleborough serve both medical and adult-use customers, while Beverly is recreational only.
Thrive’s motto is “When you Thrive, we Thrive.” Its values, the Thrive Five, are Care, Compassion, Compliance, Culture and Community, and the company says it aims for knowledgeable staff, personalized guidance and an emphasis on education.
Medical patients first
Thrive’s Massachusetts locations page says medical patients have priority lines, as state rules require. To shop as a patient, you need to be 18 or older with a state-issued patient or caregiver certification. Only qualified, state-approved caregivers may buy or pick up medical cannabis for a registered patient. If you are a patient, tell the staff when you arrive.
What shoppers say
The reviews on the Quincy store page are short and sweet. One five-star reviewer wrote: “Great customer service very friendly and very clean.”
What’s on the menu
Thrive Quincy’s menu covers the main categories:
- Flower and pre-rolls
- Vapes and carts
- Edibles and drinks
- Concentrates and extracts
- Tinctures, capsules and tablets
- Creams, balms and lotions
- Accessories
Thrive’s own house brands sit alongside products from other Massachusetts makers. The menu changes often, so take a look online before you go.
What’s in a strain name?
Strain names can be fun, but what do they actually tell you? A post on Thrive’s blog breaks it down. Many names point to a plant’s parents, some describe the experience a strain is known for, others describe its flavor or aroma, and some are pure pop culture or branding. Numbers and suffixes can mark a particular cross or breeding generation.
The catch, says the blog, is that no official body standardizes strain names, so two products with the same name can differ depending on how they were grown and cured. Its shopping advice:
- Check potency. Look at the THC and CBD numbers on the label.
- Read the terpenes. The dominant terpenes give you a sense of flavor.
- Know the lean. Note whether a product is indica-leaning, sativa-leaning or balanced.
- Ask a budtender. Real-world input from the staff goes a long way.
- Treat the name as a starting point. Use it alongside the lab results, not instead of them.
Order ahead for pickup
Online ordering for in-store pickup opens at 8:30am Monday through Saturday and 9:30am on Sunday. Thrive does not take pre-orders over the phone, so order online, then pick up at 216 Ricciuti Drive. Orders that are not collected go back on the shelves at the end of the day, and promotions are not honored if an order is not picked up the same day.
Delivery across the South Shore
Thrive delivers from Quincy through Little Dog Delivery, which Thrive describes as “locally owned and operated by social equity program participants.” The delivery area covers Quincy, Milton, Braintree, Weymouth, South Weymouth, Hingham, Norwell, Hanover, Dedham, Westwood and Norwood.
Delivery runs from 10am to 7pm Sunday through Wednesday and 10am to 8pm Thursday through Saturday. You will need a valid ID at the door. Medical deliveries go only to the address on the patient’s card on file with the state, and state law does not allow delivery to public or federal housing, college dorms or businesses.
Thrive Rewards
Thrive Rewards has its own Massachusetts sign-up page. Members earn points on eligible purchases, with extra points on Thrive’s house brands, plus a starter bonus, bonus points for extra visits and a birthday discount. Check the sign-up page for the current terms before you join.
Plan your visit
Address. 216 Ricciuti Drive, Quincy, MA 02169, in West Quincy.
Hours. Sunday through Wednesday from 9am to 8pm, and Thursday through Saturday from 9am to 9pm. Under state rules, doors lock 15 minutes before closing so every transaction can be finished.
Phone. (617) 804-0320.
Email. support@thrivedispensaries.com.
Payment. Cash, debit, Dutchie Pay by Bank, Venmo and PayPal.
ID. Adult-use shoppers need a valid, physical government-issued ID showing they are 21 or older. Digital IDs are not accepted. Medical patients need their state certification.
Returns. All flower sales are final. Defective products can be exchanged for the same or a similar item within seven days, with the receipt and original packaging.
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. That goes for day trips to Rhode Island and New Hampshire, too.
Your first visit, step by step
- Browse the menu online. Pick your categories and pre-order for pickup if you like.
- Bring a physical ID. Digital IDs are not accepted. Patients bring their certification too.
- Tell the staff how you are shopping. Medical and adult-use customers order from separate kiosks and menus.
- Ask about strains and labels. The team can help you make sense of names, terpenes and potency.
- Join Thrive Rewards. Points start adding up from your first purchase.
Make a day of it in Quincy
Quincy is the largest city in Norfolk County, with 101,636 residents at the 2020 census. It is known as the City of Presidents, and it is also the birthplace of John Hancock, the first signer of the Declaration of Independence. The city takes its name from Col. John Quincy, the grandfather of Abigail Adams.
West Quincy, where the store sits, is granite country. Quarrying was a major local industry for more than a century, and the old West Quincy quarries are now the Quincy Quarries Reservation. Nature is close by in a big way, too: about 23 percent of Quincy’s land lies within the Blue Hills Reservation, and Chickatawbut Hill, at 517 feet, is the city’s highest point.
Quincy’s history runs deep. In 1625 a group led by Captain Richard Wollaston set up a post on what became Mount Wollaston. Thomas Morton later renamed it Ma-re-Mount, and the Merrymount neighborhood sits on that original settlement today. Nearby, the John Winthrop Jr. Iron Furnace Site operated from 1644 to 1653 as the first iron furnace in the United States.
On the waterfront, the Fore River Shipyard built famous warships, and the cruiser USS Salem is preserved there as the main exhibit of the United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum. Book lovers can visit the Thomas Crane Public Library, the flagship of the city’s library network. As of 2010, Quincy had the highest per capita concentration of Asian-origin residents in Massachusetts, and the 2020 census counted 31,196 Asian residents.
Driving in is straightforward. I-93 and U.S. Route 1 run together through Quincy, Route 3 joins them at the Braintree Split, and Furnace Brook Parkway runs east from I-93 through Quincy Center to Merrymount. The Get directions button on this page opens the store in Google Maps.
Why Thrive Quincy is worth the stop
Thrive Quincy has been part of the city’s cannabis story from the very start, from Quincy’s first medical dispensary to its second recreational shop. Today it serves patients and adult-use shoppers under one roof, with a bigger sales floor, online pickup, delivery to eleven nearby towns and a rewards program. And it does it all in West Quincy, right in the city’s old granite country.
Browse the menu, order ahead, and head to Ricciuti Drive.
Cannabis is for adults 21 and over. Please consume responsibly.
Sources
- Thrive Dispensary, Quincy store page, About, Delivery, Massachusetts locations and Massachusetts rewards pages: thrivedispensaries.com
- Thrive Dispensary blog, “What Weed Strain Names Really Mean”
- WHDH, “First medical marijuana dispensary opens Wednesday,” October 5, 2016
- CBS Boston, “Quincy Dispensary Makes Pot Pizza For Patients,” June 6, 2017
- The Patriot Ledger, “Quincy’s 2nd recreational cannabis shop opens for business,” July 2024
- Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, licensing data: masscannabiscontrol.com
- Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, Know the Laws: masscannabiscontrol.com/know-the-laws
- Wikipedia, Quincy, Massachusetts
