Viola Dispensary Introduces Allen Iverson Strain to St. Louis

The line was down the block and several people deep on Saturday afternoon at Viola STL Dispensary (2001 Olive Street) across from CITYPARK stadium. This crowd, however, was not there for the inaugural soccer game. This crowd was there for former basketball player Allen Iverson.

Iverson has loaned his name to a new strain of weed that will be for sale only at Viola STL, one of the only Black-owned dispensaries in St. Louis. The dispensary was started by former NBA players Al Harrington and Larry Hughes, who played together on the New York Knicks from 2009 to 2010, as well as Abe Givins and Dan Pettigrew. Viola STL operates two dispensaries in St. Louis, both of which held ribbon cuttings over the weekend. Viola, though, is a nationwide company that also sells product and operates dispensaries in other cities such as Detroit.

"We're so excited to be launching our best-selling collaboration strain, Iverson 96, with our brother Allen Iverson," Hughes and Harrington said in a statement. "This will be the third state we are bringing this product to, and in true A.I. fashion, he'll be in the building to support our opening as we introduce our high-quality cannabis to the St. Louis area."

So predictably, people lined up (many in Iverson jerseys) to meet the basketball great and purchase cannabis. Viola STL held a grand opening for its Olive location in January, but the store clearly wasn't finished, and there was very little fanfare around the opening.


The weekend's event felt more like a grand opening with a finished interior and exterior, balloons and long lines.

People crowded around a black coach bus when it pulled up. It took so long for Iverson to emerge from it that someone shouted, "Get out the car!" When he did emerge, he was quickly surrounded by a mob of fans and photographers.

About 20 minutes after he went into the dispensary, the long line outside of the store started to move as people were let in in small groups to meet Iverson and purchase weed.

A similar scene played out the next day at Viola STL's second location near Cherokee street at 3420 Iowa Street. A line wrapped around the parking lot of the dispensary, which also offers a drive-thru, as people waited to see Iverson.

Some were also there to do some side business.

One man, looking sharp in head-to-toe red, emerged with a signed Iverson jersey and stopped to talk to a friend.

"It's $70 in there," he said, explaining that sales tax was driving up the price. "If you need something, I got you." He opened up his fanny pack to show his stash. But the pull to see Iverson was too great, and his friend went to get in line.

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