Best Dispensary Near Me Derby VT: Three Shops Near Newport on US Route 5 (2026)

Derby is an Orleans County town of about 4,600 people on Lake Memphremagog, immediately south of Newport — Vermont's northernmost city. It has three CCB-licensed adult-use cannabis dispensaries clustered on US Route 5, about 2–3 miles south of Newport center. Newport city itself has no dispensaries. Every Newport resident's nearest licensed cannabis option is in Derby, a five-minute drive south on US-5.

TL;DR — Derby VT Cannabis at a Glance

Tax: 20% in Derby (no local option). Possession limit (S.278): 2 oz flower / 10 g concentrate. Adults 21+ with photo ID.

The High Country — 5134 US Route 5

The High Country is the northernmost of Derby's three dispensaries — 1.9 miles south of Newport center, the first shop you reach heading south on US-5 from the city. Its hours are the most predictable: open daily 8:00 AM–7:00 PM, every day of the week, with no Sunday cutbacks or weekday variance.

Two features set The High Country apart from its Derby neighbors:

• Online order-ahead: The High Country accepts online orders through its website at thehighcountryvt.com — useful if you're making the drive from Island Pond or another distant part of the NEK and want your order confirmed and ready when you arrive. Browse the menu, place your order, then pick up without the wait.
• Certificates of Analysis (COAs) for all products: COAs are lab reports showing cannabinoid and terpene content for a specific batch of cannabis. Most dispensaries offer them for flower; The High Country makes them available across its product range. If you want to verify what's in your edible, cartridge, or concentrate before purchase, you can.

Contact: 802-487-9675 / [email protected] / thehighcountryvt.com.

Kushies — 4267 US Route 5

Kushies sits 2.7 miles south of Newport center, in the middle of Derby's three-shop US-5 corridor. It holds the latest evening hours of any dispensary in the entire Northeast Kingdom: open until 8:30 PM Friday and Saturday, 8:00 PM Monday through Thursday, and 7:00 PM Sunday — every day from 8:00 AM.

Staying open an hour later than The High Country on weeknights (8 PM vs 7 PM), and 90 minutes later on Friday and Saturday (8:30 PM vs 7 PM), is practical for Newport workers and anyone who can't shop until after a full workday. The Friday–Saturday window to 8:30 PM is useful for people wrapping up a Jay Peak weekend or a Lake Memphremagog day before heading back.

Kushies also runs a themed special every day of the week:

• Sunday: 10% off CBD, topicals, and tinctures
• Monday: Buy 3 pre-rolls, get 15% off
• Tuesday: 10% off cartridges
• Wednesday: 10% off concentrates
• Thursday: 10% off bulk flower
• Friday: 10% off edibles
• Saturday: 10% off drinks

Specials can change week to week — confirm the current day's deal in-store or at kushies.life.

A permanent 10% discount applies at all times to seniors (65+), veterans, and out-of-state medical cannabis card holders. No enrollment or documentation beyond the standard 21+ ID check — the discount applies if you qualify.

Contact: 802-214-4566 / [email protected] / kushies.life.

Kingdom Boyz Cannabis — 3731 US Route 5

Kingdom Boyz Cannabis is the southernmost of the three Derby shops, 3.2 miles from Newport center on US-5. It is an in-house cannabis cultivator-retailer — the shop grows its own cannabis in the Northeast Kingdom and sells it directly at the counter. That supply chain is the source of its signature offer: premium eighths at $20, tax included.

For context: most Vermont dispensaries price premium eighths at $35–$55 before tax, with tax adding another 20%. Kingdom Boyz's $20-per-eighth-tax-included price is among the most competitive pricing for lab-tested Vermont-grown flower anywhere in the state, and specifically the lowest you'll find on the Newport/Derby corridor.

The in-house strains come with lab test results. Recent cultivated stock has included:

• Cap Junky: 29.13% THC
• Blue Sherbert: 27.39% THC
• Jokers Candy: 27.54% THC

As a cultivator-retailer, Kingdom Boyz controls the supply chain from seed to shelf — flower is grown locally in the NEK, which means a different freshness proposition than a shop sourcing through a distribution network. The trade-off is the shorter schedule: Monday through Saturday 8:00 AM–6:00 PM, and Sunday only 9:00 AM–3:00 PM. The Sunday window in particular is short — arrive by 2:30 PM if you're cutting it close.

Contact: 802-766-3520 / kingdomboyzvt.com.

Which Shop Should You Go To?

Three dispensaries on one corridor means the right choice depends on timing and what you're buying:

• You need to plan ahead or can't get there until evening: Kushies (Mon–Thu until 8 PM, Fri–Sat until 8:30 PM) — the only option if you're arriving after 7 PM.
• You want to order online before the drive: The High Country (thehighcountryvt.com has order-ahead).
• You want the lowest price on flower: Kingdom Boyz ($20/eighth tax-included, in-house grown). Arrive before 6 PM weekdays, before 3 PM Sunday.
• You're a senior, veteran, or out-of-state medical patient: Kushies (10% permanent discount) — applies on top of any daily specials.
• You need lab documentation (COAs) for a non-flower product: The High Country (COAs available for all products).
• You're visiting on Sunday and want the most time: Kushies (8 AM–7 PM) or The High Country (8 AM–7 PM). Kingdom Boyz closes at 3 PM on Sundays.

Newport Has No Dispensaries — Derby Is the Hub

Newport is a Vermont city of roughly 4,500 people on the southern end of Lake Memphremagog. It's the Orleans County seat and the largest city in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. As of mid-2026, Newport has not licensed any cannabis dispensaries within city limits.

The practical consequence: every Newport resident who wants legally purchased cannabis drives south on US-5 to Derby. The city limits end a short distance north of The High Country; the first dispensary is about 1.9 miles from Newport's Main Street, roughly a five-minute drive. All three shops are accessible in under 10 minutes from Newport center.

Newport also draws visitors year-round — for Lake Memphremagog recreation (the lake extends 27 miles into Quebec), for the Gateway Center and waterfront, for I-91 travel between Montreal and southern New England. Many of those visitors are also making a Derby stop.

Jay Peak Visitors and the Route Through Newport

Jay Peak Resort, Vermont's northernmost ski area and the most snowfall-reliable mountain in New England, sits about 30 miles west of Newport via VT-105 East from Jay to Newport, then I-91 or US-5 south. Jay Peak visitors who don't stop at smaller shops along Route 242 or VT-100 before reaching Newport often make Derby their cannabis stop on the way in or out.

The drive from Jay Peak base area to the first Derby dispensary (The High Country, 5134 US Route 5) takes approximately 35–40 minutes depending on conditions. It's a reasonable round-trip on a ski weekend — either Friday afternoon before checking in or Sunday after the last run.

Note that Barton, about 15 miles south of Newport on US-5, has two dispensaries of its own — Kingdom Kind and The Dank Closet — that might be more convenient for Jay Peak visitors approaching from VT-58 (Lowell). If you're driving Jay Peak → I-91 → Newport, Derby is the right stop. If you're driving Jay → Lowell → VT-58 → Barton, Barton's shops intercept you earlier.

Lake Memphremagog and Border Context

Lake Memphremagog stretches about 27 miles from Newport north into Quebec — a major recreational lake for boating, fishing, and shoreline access on both sides of the border. Newport's waterfront on the southern end of the lake is an active tourism and recreation draw from late spring through fall.

Derby Line, a village in the Town of Derby about 8 miles north of Newport, is a US–Canada Port of Entry where Rock Island, Quebec begins across the street. Cannabis purchased at any Derby dispensary must stay in the United States. Transporting cannabis across the US–Canada border in either direction is a federal crime under both US and Canadian law — regardless of Vermont's state legalization or Canada's federal Cannabis Act. Border agents on both sides conduct vehicle searches. Do not bring any Vermont cannabis to Derby Line or any other international crossing.

Cannabis Tax in Derby: 20%

Vermont's cannabis tax is a 14% state excise tax plus the 6% Vermont state sales tax — 20% combined. Derby has not adopted the optional 1% local option tax, and neither has Newport city or any other Orleans County municipality as of mid-2026. The 20% rate applies at all three Derby dispensaries.

On a $100 pre-tax purchase, plan for $20 in tax. Kingdom Boyz's $20-per-eighth offer is already tax-included, so there's no additional amount owed at the register. For The High Country and Kushies, prices shown on the menu are typically pre-tax.

Confirm the rate at time of purchase. Local option tax decisions are made at Vermont town meetings and can change.

Vermont Cannabis Law in 2026 (S.278)

Vermont Senate Bill S.278, effective July 1, 2026, sets the following limits for adults 21 and older:

• Flower: 2 oz maximum possession
• Concentrate: 10 g maximum possession
• Home cultivation: Up to 6 plants per household (2 mature, 4 immature)

Public consumption is prohibited statewide — parks, trails, parking lots, and all public spaces in Newport, Derby, and everywhere else in Vermont. Cannabis purchased at any Derby shop is for private consumption in Vermont. Do not consume in vehicles, on Lake Memphremagog waterfront, or at Derby Line. Standard Vermont rules: valid government-issued photo ID, adults 21+ only.

See also: The High Country full listing — 5134 US Route 5 Derby, daily 8 AM–7 PM, online ordering, COAs; Kushies full listing — 4267 US Route 5 Derby, Mon–Thu 8–8, Fri–Sat 8–8:30, Sun 8–7, daily specials + 10% senior/veteran discount; Kingdom Boyz Cannabis full listing — 3731 US Route 5 Derby, Mon–Sat 8–6, Sun 9–3, in-house cultivator, $20 eighths tax-included; Derby VT dispensary directory — all three shops in one place; Orleans County VT Dispensaries Guide — full county coverage including Derby, Barton, and Newport-area context; Best Dispensary Near Me Barton VT — Kingdom Kind and The Dank Closet, ~15 miles south of Newport; Newport VT dispensary guide — Newport has no dispensaries; Derby is the nearest hub; Vermont Cannabis Law Changes 2026 (S.278) — possession limits updated July 1, 2026; Vermont Strain Match — find the right product by effect; full Vermont dispensary directory.