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Arcanna in Ionia selling adult-use marijuana.
An Ionia marijuana dispensary which initially sold medical marijuana has expanded its menu selection.
Arcanna, 29 Beardsley Road, in Ionia, began selling adult-use marijuana to customers Wednesday, March 31. The company’s expansion expects to bring 100 jobs to the area by the end of 2021, according to a press release.
Arcanna opened June as a medical marijuana provisioning center. Now the company is providing medical and adult-use marijuana to the area.
“We are proud to be serving and supporting our community,” said David Bye, president of Arcanna.
“Ionia residents embrace both small town values and progressive industries that move their community forward. We’re honored to be a part of that movement while providing excellent customer service, a pillar of our foundation.”
The company has invested $16 million into the local economy with architects, engineers, heating and cooling, manufacturers, skilled workers and other industries.
The Ionia City Council voted in January to legalize adult use marijuana establishments in the city.
Roughly 64 percent of city of Ionia voters who voted in November 2018 supported the legalization of recreational marijuana.
“Our team has 30 years of experience and proudly sets the standard for not only offering superior cannabis but also exceptional customer service,” stated Dean St. Peter, co-founder and director of Production at Arcanna.
“Our focus is always on people and products. We take pride in and are dedicated to our craft. We want our customers to know that we take the extra time to make sure the products and service we deliver are premier.”
Arcanna sells flowers, edibles, concentrates and topicals for cannabis consumers. There are more than 50 strains of flower and 250 types of concentrates at Arcanna, Bye said.
Bye told The Sentinel-Standard the main difference between medical and adult-use marijuana is keeping them separate.
One side of the store sells medical cannabis, while the other is for adult-use. Bye said the business color-codes marijuana in its vault to differentiate between the two categories.
Arcanna provides a place for people to purchase marijuana in Ionia County without having to drive to Grand Rapids, Lowell or Lansing.
“These tax dollars are coming into Ionia now and the business is supporting local Ionia employees,” Bye said. “All of our contractors that we use are local contractors. What it’s doing is keeping the money here.”
Arcanna has also implemented and education tool to help people determine what cannabis products they want to purchase.
“We’ve had an overwhelming warmth from the community and the people,” Bye said. “Having a local employment staff, everyone’s from Ionia or real close by.”
Arcanna has plans for expansion and will look to hire additional employees, Bye said. He praised the city of Ionia for making Arcanna’s vision of selling both medical and adult-use marijuana a reality.
“We feel very welcome as a corporate citizen here,” Bye said. “To me, any relationship’s a circle where you give and everything comes back. They understand that as well.”
Arcanna is also looking at other locations in the state to open dispensaries, Bye said, with the Ionia site serving as the company’s flagship location.
“We’re excited to keep up the progress,” Bye said.