Over two years ago, the State of Massachusetts officially legalized recreational marijuana, and residents of the little East Coast state have desperately been waiting for the first legal cannabis store to open (for a lengthy two years). Needless to say, amongst the big-name players in New England, Massachusetts has made a prominent name for itself, and, after the long wait, members of the Bay State’s marijuana community do not have to wait any longer. Recently, regulators finally gave the green light for retail stores to open next week. So what exactly do these new businesses have planned and how will this affect the state, in general? Let’s take a closer look and find out more.
Pot Shops Are Here
After a lengthy two-year-plus waiting period, the State of Massachusetts is preparing to welcome its first pot retail stores. On Friday, November 16, 2018, the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission officially authorized New England Treatment Access (NETA, based in Northampton) and Cultivate (based in Leicester). In three calendar days, this approval will go into effect.
Meanwhile, both stores have provided additional info about opening times. NETA announced it will open at 8:00 AM on Tuesday, November 20, and Cultivate will open at 10:00 AM on the same day.
Simultaneously, other recreational cannabis stores are securing licenses in preparation to open.
Massachusetts Milestone
Although the state officially legalized cannabis for adults 21 and older in 2016, state legislators and regulators took approximately two years to finally reach an agreement on opening locations for stores. Initially, the opening date had been set for July 1, 2018.
Based on commence operations (a notice from regulators), the stores were required to wait for a three-day period in order to coordinate activities with Massachusetts officials and members of law enforcement. According to initial reports, the stores are expecting to draw in massive crowds of people, as evidenced by activity in other U.S. states and Canada. Steven Hoffman (chairman of the cannabis panel) explained that this decision to open marijuana retail stores is a huge milestone for the State of Massachusetts.
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