First Recreational Marijuana Stores Approved To Open In MA

LEICESTER, MA— Marijuana facilities in Leicester and Northampton are officially the first two shops in the state given approval by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission to open for business. The commission on Friday authorized Cultivate Holdings in Leicester and New England Treatment Access in Northampton to start selling recreational marijuana as of Tuesday, Nov. 20.

It will be more than 730 days since voters first approved legalized sales.

New England Treatment Access, or NETA, will open at 8 a.m. and stay open until 10 p.m. It was not immediately clear Friday what time Cultivate plans to open Tuesday, though CCC documents indicate it plans to be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.

Customers 21 or older can purchase up to 1 ounce of marijuana or up to 5 grams of concentrate at a time — which is how much a person can legally possess in Massachusetts.

“This signal to open retail marijuana establishments marks a major milestone for voters who approved legal, adult-use cannabis in our state,” Commission Chairman Steven J. Hoffman said in a statement on Friday. “To get here, licensees underwent thorough background checks, passed multiple inspections, and had their products tested, all to ensure public health and safety as this new industry gets up and running. As patrons look forward to visiting Massachusetts stores, we hope they will do their part by first familiarizing themselves with the law and understanding what is required of responsible consumers.”

Leicester officials expect the opening to be so big that they've got a traffic plan in place to deal with it.

Leicester Police Chief James Hurley told The Boston Globe that he expects the opening of Cultivate, located on Route 9, to be as big as Black Friday at Walmart. Some people are excited to line up for half-price on a flat screen TV, and others get stoked about being able to legally buy reefer.

"I think it's great, but Leicester has to tread lightly," said Leicester resident Cherilyn Bulger. "The other 350 towns will be watching to see what kind of mistakes they make so they don't make the same ones. Plus, police, planning board and selectmen all have to be on the same page."

Leicester voters were nearly split, but approved the statewide ballot initiative in 2016 legalizing pot. In May, Town Meeting members approved the allowance of recreational sales.

"I’m sure by Thursday or so when they open we will have lots of traffic and people will see that," said Selectman Harry Brooks. "I really think 75 percent of the town still doesn't know what town Cultivate's in. I heard one person say she was very concerned because she came from Colorado and they seem to be doing wrong."

Cultivate has been operating as a marijuana grower and medical dispensary since November, 2017.

Photos Credit: Andrew Collari

Materials from the State House News Service was used in this report