Bazonzoes Provisioning Center in south Lansing is now offering drive-through pickup for fast take-away.
According to Anthony Virga, Bazonzoes president and founder, the new option will be useful for customers who don't want to leave their kids somewhere while they pick up their products. On the other hand, they think it was ultimately the pandemic that made it possible. Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency announced a new set of rules including the allowance of curbside and drive-throughs in March of this year.
The New Shop
Windowless and pre-ordering required, drivers pull up to a monitor screen that displays a video of an employee for ID verification. Transactions are made through a metal drawer below the screen. “Because it’s such a valuable product, most people at any other food drive-through aren't spending the amount of money you would at a dispensary, so we try to make it as safe as possible,” explained Virga.
He added that the new option will help towards destigmatizing cannabis consumption, as it will liken cannabis sales to any other retail shop, most notably fast-food chains that have stood out as the big players in the drive-through system.
Rick Thompson, executive director of NORML Michigan and owner of Michigan Cannabis Business Development Programs seemed to agree: “I look at drive-through as a symbol of the normalization of cannabis and cannabis retail use within the city of Lansing and the surrounding areas.”
Thompson added, “When we start to look like other businesses people forget that we used to be illegal and they start treating us like other businesses.”
This might even help hesitant consumers of cannabis, or those who prefer privacy, in addition to the practical convenience it presents for people with disabilities.