Hemp, THC dispensary opens in Beatrice, hopes to help community

BEATRICE - Grateful Green has opened its doors in Beatrice. The store sells a variety of hemp and THC products and sits next to the already operational Generation-V on 6th St.

The store held its grand opening at 10:00 AM on Friday, with hundreds filing in throughout the day. When people hear the terms “hemp”, “THC”, or even “CBD” many begin to assume they represent forms of marijuana which remains illegal in Nebraska. However, that’s not necessarily true. Grateful Green Director of Operations Nick Zawacki explains.

“In 2018, the farm bill was passed and adopted by Nebraska, which allowed THC to be approved and to be used,” Zawacki said. “Those elements include Delta 8 THC, Delta 10, THC-O…And those are what we sell here. In companions to Delta 9 which is in marijuana.”

Zawacki said the store even had the Beatrice Police Department in before opening to train and educate the staff on the products they sell. Since stores like Grateful Greens still aren’t very common in Nebraska, it’s likely people outside of Beatrice may pay a visit. Zawacki says this could bring in more money for the community.

“We’re a part of the community, we’re super excited to be here, we think it’s going to be great for the community for us to partner with the community, to grow, and to really be at home here.

CBD and THC are often used to relieve pain, similar to an anti-inflammatory medicine. Some users take it before bed to help them get a pain free night’s rest. Zawacki has a story of his own as to why he’s an advocate for the substances.

“My dad uses THC-V. He has essential tremors in which his hands shake,” Zawacki said. “When he came down to see this grand daughter he was scared to hold her because his hands were shaking a bit. We brought him in to get him a disposable, his hands stopped, he was able to hold his grand daughter.”

The store opened while Nebraska is in a tense debate over whether or not to legalize medical marijuana. Supporters were even on hand to offer customers to sign the petition. Zawacki said while they hope it helps the cause, their main priority is to help those in the community with ailments.

“There’s a cause that’s there,” Zawacki said. “We want to be there, we want to be supportive of Nebraskans for medical marijuana, but our overall goal is just to help the community and to provide products that help with certain ailments.”