Bazonzoes is more than just a dispensary. It’s a feeling. It’s a family. It’s a fish. Bazonzoes is the OG dispensary of your dreams because we value honesty, integrity, and the power of a great smoke session to cure what ails you but, we also value you. Because of you, we do our absolute best to deliver top quality cannabis, customer service, and competitive pricing every day. Since 2010, Bazonzoes has had your back and we don’t plan on stopping. So come on by and let us show you how to have a budtastic day!
FROM MLIVE 2021:
Inside the Bazonzoes Provisioning Center in Walled Lake, owners Anthony Virga and Ryan McMullen have hung a shadowbox of items that can only be considered an atypical business decoration – the search warrants and memorabilia from a drug raid at their medical marijuana dispensary.
The 2013 action from the Drug Enforcement Agency resulted in no charges, nor did two subsequent police seizures claiming Bazonzoes was violating state laws despite the men’s strict adherence and documentation to following all rules related to the new-at-the-time field.
“We’ve been through more than anyone else in the industry,” Virga says with a laugh and the hindsight that he was vindicated of every allegation. “I’m stubborn and I knew we were doing everything right, so I wasn’t going to back down. I wasn’t just going to plead guilty to something to get it to go away like people told me to.
“I knew people had a right to (medical marijuana), and I wanted to help them and treat them right.”
When Bazonzoes debuted in 2010 it was among the pioneers in the medical marijuana trade that opened with Michigan’s voter approval in 2008. Bazonzoes expanded to the recreational end of the business once Michigan cannabis sales opened to adults 21 and older in 2019, maintaining a space in Walled Lake and opening in Lansing in 2020.
Bazonzoes will debut a second Lansing provisioning center later this year as part of the business plan to be a one-stop shop with a growing facility, processing center and retail outlet all under one roof. It will be among the first in the state all three abilities. Virga has partnered with established Michigan marijuana growers, brothers Danny, Michael and David Esshaki, to lead the cultivation efforts.
“It’s exciting to have the team we’ve built here,” Virga said. “For us, it’s not about the money. It’s about being a part of the community and providing a service others don’t.”
Virga was introduced to medicinal cannabis after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract. Traditional medicines didn’t help Virga, he said.
The relationships Bazonzoes formed with patients and adult-use customers from the early days to now is built on trust, Virga said. While the marijuana boom in Michigan has brought in competitors, Bazonzoes stands out through high quality cannabis, budtenders who are trained beyond industry standards and a level of service that welcomes customers.
“We’re complete opposites of what you’re seeing come into the market,” Virga said. “We’re one of the ‘OGs’ and we’re Michigan-owned, not corporate-owned. We’re not going to upsell or push something on you. We’re going to give you the best product to meet your needs because we care about everyone who comes in and what they want to experience.”
Bazonzoes carries a full line of products including flowers, pre-rolls, vaporizers, concentrates and edibles, all of which can be ordered online. The provisioning centers also have CBD, topicals and accessories.
Marijuana legalization has brought a variety of customers from the curious first-time user and the returning-to-cannabis consumer and the long-time imbiber who was forced to the black market. There is no longer a stereotype or shame associated with cannabis.
“It’s everybody from the guy with his hat turned backward to the older lady who is in church every Sunday,” Virga said. “The stigma is gone because cannabis is for anyone who is interested. That’s why we’re in this because we can be their guide and a resource that helps them.”
