Cannabis Tourism in Provincetown: A Newcomer’s Guide

Sponsored by the Provincetown Office of Tourism

For all the exuberance of Provincetown’s summer season, many fans of this seaside town have a special place in their heart for spring. It’s an unhurried time marked by quiet and beautiful beaches, blooming flowers and greening lawns, seasonal businesses reemerging from their winter slumber — and even free parking.

And while Memorial Day weekend is the traditional kickoff for the town’s famous social calendar — which includes one of the nation’s top Pride events, Provincetown Pride — there’s a celebration centered around April 20 that both honors Provincetown’s progressive spirit and invites visitors to explore a new side to this popular destination: namely, legalized recreational cannabis. Called “4/20,” the unofficial national cannabis holiday got a big local boost in 2019 when prominent Provincetown drag artist Mackenzie Miller debuted the cannabis-themed show 4/20 Heeennny, which has since become a festive three-day event.

For Mackenzie, the popularity of the show speaks to the natural fit between cannabis culture and the historically open, welcoming, and fun-loving community that is Provincetown.

“No matter where you are on your cannabis journey, Provincetown can be a hugely important piece of it,” Mackenzie says. “I think everybody should come out here for their first experience, because you’re surrounded by a relaxed atmosphere and all this natural beauty. And specifically, this environment is so special because we want to educate people; we want to give them the most positive experience we can.”

How Cannabis Came to Ptown

Medical cannabis, or marijuana, was legalized in Massachusetts in 2012; four years later, Massachusetts became the seventh state in the nation to allow the sale and consumption of recreational, or “adult use,” cannabis. Since 2018, when the first Massachusetts shops opened in Leicester and Northampton, the state’s recreational cannabis retailers have seen more than $4 billion in sales.

The popularity of the fledgling industry hasn’t been lost on places whose economies rely heavily on visitors, like Provincetown. “There is a national trend in cannabis-related tourism,” Paul Niedzwiecki, Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce CEO, told the Cape Cod Times. “The more retail shops that open on the Cape, the more likely we are to see this cannabis-related tourism. The Cape is a really popular destination to begin with, so I think [these new shops] enhance the location and the destination.”

Provincetown was the first Cape community to have a recreational cannabis shop, which opened in 2020; today there are five operating year-round, the most of any town on Cape Cod. “Tourism obviously is a big factor, since we’re a true international destination,” says Hennep owner Andrew Koudijs, who opened his Commercial Street shop in spring 2021. “You have people coming here who haven’t had legal cannabis, or access to cannabis at all, and who are very interested in it.”

Just as important to local cannabis retailers’ success, he adds, is the community itself. “Provincetown is so open and welcoming. There hasn’t been any of the stigma here that you might see in other places — you don’t have to say ‘I work in a cannabis dispensary’ under your breath. This is a job, and we all enjoy our job.”

And the value of those jobs is clear to Ptown residents like Mackenzie, who has lived here for a decade and knows how hard it can be to make a living in what’s traditionally been a “summer destination” town. “A majority of us were all very excited, I think, about cannabis becoming a prominent vendor here, especially with the year-round job opportunities it’s brought for locals,” she says. “These are people that we know and love and want to see succeed, and they’re making a beautiful living year-round.”

Exploring the Scene

For those who haven’t visited one of Provincetown’s recreational cannabis shops, there are a few things to know right off the bat. You don’t need to be a Massachusetts resident to purchase marijuana or marijuana products, but you must be 21 or older and have a government-issued ID. Also, any products you buy can’t be consumed in public places, and you can’t have open containers in your car.

Beyond these ground rules, though, Ptown’s cannabis retail pros — also called “budtenders” — are ready to help newcomers get their bearings. “There’s a lot of competition in Provincetown, which, while challenging as a business owner, means there’s so many products for consumers to explore,” explains Koudijs, who says that even during the busiest summer days at Hennep there are staffers working one-on-one with every customer “to help them get comfortable being in the store and make sure they leave with products they’re comfortable with.”

Among the most popular products at Hennep are edibles, which are food and drink products infused with cannabis extract, including gummies, seltzers, and ice cream. Koudijs also recommends tinctures — liquids typically ingested by placing drops under the tongue — as being newbie-friendly. There are, of course, products for smoking and vaping, and a wide range of price points for all. But the most important consideration, Koudijs says, is what kind of cannabis experience is right for you.

“Are you going to have a busy day, or are you just planning to chill on the beach? Do you just need help getting to sleep at night? Knowing what a customer hopes to get out of it helps us steer them in the right direction.”

Mackenzie, whose own familiarity with cannabis goes back to growing up in the pot-friendly city of Seattle after her family moved there from Alaska, chimes in with advice from the consumer’s perspective.

“Remember that there is no such thing as a bad question. Everything you want to know, anything you’re nervous about asking — just bring all your questions when you come into a shop. These people are well prepared and well equipped to make sure that you have the most amazing time that you can.”

Catching the Big Show

When Mackenzie and her collaborator, Austin Tyler, were preparing to debut 4/20 Heeennny in 2019, they were pretty sure they’d hit upon an untapped market — combining Provincetown’s legendary drag entertainment scene with the up-and-coming cannabis culture — but weren’t entirely sure how it would go over.

“At the very last rehearsal, I’ll never forget, we checked the tickets and we had maybe 15 tickets sold,” Mackenzie recalls, and laughs. “And it was like, ‘Well, this is gonna be the biggest flop of my life, but I’m gonna go into it as if it’s an amphitheater of 7,000!’ And then we ended up having to hold the show for an hour because the line was down the block. It sold out to great, great success.”

After a pandemic-forced break in 2020 that stretched into 2021, 4/20 Heeennny came roaring back last year when Mackenzie joined forces with Jonathan Hawkins and Paolo Martini at the Crown & Anchor, which became the show’s new venue. “The anticipation [since 2019] had built to the point where we ended up making it this three-day event,” Mackenzie says. “The whole town rallied behind us. We went from six performers to more than a dozen, every local cannabis dispensary was featured in giveaways and promotions — everyone wanted to get involved.”

Mackenzie is now putting finishing touches on this year’s 4/20 Heeennny, which will be held April 20-22 at the Crown & Anchor. Without giving too much away, she says this year’s theme, “Ganja Goddess,” will take the show into “very fun, immersive, ancient worlds — very Indiana Jones, very The Mummy. And it’s gonna be a riot!”

Along with the performances on the main stage there will be a mini convention in the next-door bar showcasing cannabis retailers and their wares, a dance party where you can come meet the cast, and potentially a restaurant collaboration with cannabis-inspired menus.

“We’re trying to create a little festival, almost,” Mackenzie says. “A really unique, quirky, one-weekend, once-a-year opportunity for people to come from all over to buy local cannabis products and meet the local budtenders that are here to set you on your journey.”

For More Information

The websites of Provincetown’s recreational cannabis shops are great places to learn more about rules and regulations, peruse a variety of cannabis products, and get answers to frequently asked questions.

Hennep
246 Commercial St., Provincetown; 774-593-5172; hennep.com

Curaleaf
170 Commercial St., Provincetown; 774-593-5952; curaleaf.com

Heal Cannabis
48 Shank Painter Road, Provincetown; 508-492-1660; healmj.com/location/heal-cannabis-provincetown

b\well
220 Commercial St., Provincetown; 508-413-9427; bwell.life

The Haven
308 Commercial St., Provincetown; 508-413-9477; havencenter.me