October 5, 2021, marked the one-year anniversary of the opening of Green Star Herbals, Dracut’s first recreational marijuana store. Green Star was the first to open since the Town of Dracut voted to allow retail marijuana facilities. Since then, three other retail cannabis stores have opened in town.
In 2022, Green Star Herbals was bought by the national cannabis retail company RISE
Thomas Morey, president and CEO of Green Star, invested in the cannabis industry after a career in the computer industry in California. The Hudson, Mass., native started Green Star Herbals, and the Dracut location is the first of three sites, with Maynard opening earlier this year and Chelsea opening soon. Green Star recently merged with Green Thumb Industries, which Morey said mainly means the company will have improved access to the best products. Morey says the Green Star name will remain for now. A steady stream of customers kept Green Star’s “budtenders” busy one recent day, and Morey says that’s not unusual and that the customer base runs the gamut of age groups. Visit www.greenstarherb.com.
PHOTO: Dan Phelps, Economic Developer Project Planner for the Town of Dracut, and Thomas Morey, founder and CEO of Green Star Herbals, now RISE.