DDM Cannabis Offers Medical, Recreational Marijuana
Apr 29, 2021 06:00AM ● By Pamela Johnson
DDM Cannabis general manager Mark Mandracchia (left) and owner VictorPatel hold a new tee shirt with the dispensary’s logo. Masks and social distancing are required in the store.
“I’m a believer in the power of the plant,” explained Diana Nicholas, the inventory manager for DDM Cannabis, a newly opened dispensary located in Blackstone on the south Bellingham town line. “I’ve been in the cannabis industry for two years and am thrilled to be part of a fantastic team.” Nicholas is part of a 20-employee team drawn mostly from the two towns.
DDM Cannabis is located at 1 Lloyd Street in Blackstone (behind Stop & Shop in south Bellingham). For more information, please visit www.ddmcannabis.com or call 508-928-2939. Store hours are Monday-Saturday, 9AM-9PM; and Sunday, 10AM-9PM.
With prices that range from $9 to $90, the pot shop offers hundreds of recreational marijuana products, including edibles, concentrates, vaporizers, flower, pre-rolls, and glassware. The power of this plant can be experienced in many ways and they are all offered at DDM Cannabis.
“We offer everything a customer needs to try any product,” said Budtender Oliver Ryan. “We are heavily regulated by the state, which is good for the customer; all products are tested by labs licensed by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission. All of our products are pure and safe.”
DDM Cannabis is owned by Victor Patel, who has owned Bob’s Beer & Wine (see ad on page 15) on Pulaski Boulevard in Bellingham for the past 21 years. “I wanted to get into this fast-paced, growing industry,” explained Patel, who has lived in Bellingham for 15 years. He added, “My family and I wanted to branch out into the cannabis industry. DDM Cannabis is our first cannabis store, and I hope to expand to many more with blessings.”
Bellingham currently does not allow pot shops in the town. So Patel got as close as he could with DDM Cannabis, which is literally feet across the town line in Blackstone. He has pledged to give Blackstone five percent of dispensary sales each quarter, which, from opening on February 5 to March 31, amounted to $36,657.
The 4,000-square-foot building is about as secure and safe as Fort Knox. Customers are buzzed in through the front door, masks and social distancing are required, purchases are made at one counter and product picked up at another, and the exit has two doors that do not open at the same time. State-approved identification, such as a driver’s license or passport, is required, and customers must be over 21 years of age.
Because DDM Cannabis hires locally, “Customers come in and recognize their neighbors behind the counters,” said general manager Mark Mandracchia. “They ask for baked goods, brownies, flavored seltzer water, among other things; and some who suffer from asthma and can’t smoke purchase THC capsules.” He added, “Our employees know all the products, from A to Z.”
“Some people come in because they are looking for relief from pain,” added Ryan. Others are looking for recreational uses. Whatever your motivation might be for visiting the shop, expect helpful answers to all of your questions.
