Massachusetts Cannabis Company Flips the Script on 4/20

April 20 may be the biggest sales day of the year for the vast majority of cannabis retailers, but Temescal Wellness is placing its priorities on employee mental health rather than profits for this year’s marijuana holiday.

In keeping with that spirit, the vertically integrated company has chosen to buck business trends and give all of its nearly 100 employees the day off on 4/20, opting to close completely for the day.

“That means employees at our three dispensaries in Framingham, Hudson, and Pittsfield, our production facility in Worcester, and our corporate office in Framingham, all have the day off to celebrate 4/20 however they wish,” Sian Leininger, Temescal’s director of retail and customer engagement, wrote to Green Market Report via email.

Leininger herself noted in the company’s press release, which announced that Temescal will be categorizing 4/20 as a paid holiday for staff, that the day has historically been “one of our most profitable days” since it opened for business in 2018. This is the first year the business will be closed on 4/20.

Leininger declined to share any past sales figures at Temescal for 4/20.

In the email to Green Market Report, she said the policy is a natural extension of how Temescal values “people over profit.”

“We firmly believe that the well-being of our employees and our guests is paramount. By celebrating 4/20 with a paid day off for our team, we hope to normalize the holiday and cannabis culture, and remove any stigma around cannabis consumption,” Leininger wrote.

“We’re a wellness company. We’re always looking for ways to foster happiness and wellness in our employees and that commitment extends to benefits, PTO, and our holiday schedule,” Leininger wrote.

“When we reviewed the holiday schedule for the upcoming year, we thought: ‘All of our team members share a deep-seated passion for cannabis. They stay up to date on the latest strains, products, and trends,'” she explained. “4/20 should really be a day to celebrate our team members, so they can celebrate doing what they love – whatever that may be. Whether they’re relaxing at home, attending an event, or enjoying their favorite cannabis products (or as we like to call it, ‘professional development’), this day is for them.”

Leininger said the company is hopeful that it can offset potential losses from being closed on 4/20 by ratcheting up communications with its loyal customers so they visit to stock up before the cannabis holiday.

“We’re offering bundles and deals throughout the entire month, so guests can stock up before 4/20 and replenish their supplies after. It’s 4/20 all of April at Temescal Wellness, and we anticipate that the strength of our sales will reflect that,” she wrote.

The only other paid holidays at Temescal? Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“We hire people who love cannabis because we love cannabis,” Leininger wrote. “That’s something that permeates the entire company.”

At least one other cannabis company made the same decision to give workers the day off on 4/20: Conception Nurseries on the West Coast has announced the same move, for basically the same reasons.

“The paid holiday is the company’s way of showing gratitude for the hard work and dedication of our employees,” CEO Kevin Brooks said in a press release, which stated that all of the company’s operations in California and Oregon will be closed on April 20.

“Reflecting on all the sacrifices that were made for us to get here is an important step. This 4/20 will be a day to celebrate how far we have come – from illegal to essential,” Brooks said, referring to how the majority of the U.S. cannabis industry was designated “essential” by most state governors during the COVID-19 epidemic.

The “essential” designation crucially allowed dispensaries and other marijuana companies to continue operations throughout the pandemic, while many mainstream businesses were forced to close for months.

However, Conception’s closure – as a tissue culture lab, part of the upstream supply chain – likely won’t cost the company as much as it will a storefront retailer such as Temescal Wellness.