GOOD TIMES
Basking in thee glow th
Sean McCarthy
For many people, using cannabis was a forbidden thrill – stealing away with friends to a secluded location to smoke a joint. But since it became legal for adults in 2016, buying cannabis in Massachusetts is now as common as getting a candy bar at a convenience store.
Chappy Dickerson knew this day was coming. “In 1999, I was stationed in Germany in the Army and I must have visited Amsterdam 42 times,” he says with a touch of sarcasm. “I saw the amount of people going in and out of these coffee shops and I realized it was a matter of time before this trend was coming to America and I wanted to get ahead of it.” And he did. “When I got home in 2001 I told everyone that I was going to open a dispensary one day and that they would be buying cannabis from me.” And they did. In February 2018, Dickerson opened Bask, a registered cannabis dispensary located at 2 Pequod Road in Fairhaven, just off of Alden Road. Offering both medicinal and recreational cannabis, the store provides as many as 450 different products for patients and consumers over 21. “Everybody and anybody uses cannabis,”
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Dickerson says. “The people that come through our doors are from every part of society. Our clientele includes your aunts and uncles, parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters. I love seeing a parent and their 21-plus child shopping together. “Nowadays there’s no picture of what a cannabis user looks like. It used to be the guy in the tie-dyed shirt with the long hair, but not anymore. Deep down I always knew everybody could benefit from the medicinal effects of cannabis. Even recreational users are finding that cannabis can help them sleep or can help relieve aches and pains.” Born and raised in Mattapoisett, the 42-year-old Dickerson is a member of the Mattapoisett Fire Department, as well as being a member of the town’s Conservation Committee and the Agricultural Commission. “I’ve always dabbled in growing cannabis,” Dickerson says. “I started back when I lived at home with my mother.
N ov ember /D ecember 2021
Chappy Dickerson cutting the ribbon to mark the start of Bask’s recreational cannabis sales in February 2021
I had plants growing in my bedroom window. When my mother discovered them I told her they were marigolds, but she didn’t believe me.” Today, the number of full-time employees at the Bask store in Fairhaven is 70, and the business is experiencing consistent growth. Since February 2020, Dickerson has been cultivating and processing Bask’s marijuana at their 52-acre AmeriCann site in Freetown. The Freetown location boasts 49 employees. “People are supporting their families thanks to this industry, and buying from a local business helps keep money in the town,” Dickerson says.
The grass is greener Massachusetts customers are legally allowed to buy one ounce of cannabis at a time, though they can make a purchase every day if they wish. All customers must have valid identification, whether it’s a driver’s license, passport, or military ID. Bask offers more than just conventional marijuana. Their shelves are stocked with
