1st legal pot stores on East Coast set to open

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — With its youthful vibe and eclectic mix of culture, a small Massachusetts city seems a logical site for the nation’s first legal recreational marijuana sales east of Colorado.

An existing medical marijuana dispensary in Northampton — nestled in Massachusetts’ scenic Pioneer Valley — plans to open its doors within days to anyone 21 or older looking for products ranging from pre-rolled joints to cannabis-infused edibles, creams, lotions and cooking oils. A second store in the small town of Leicester could also open at or around the same time, while dozens of other retail applicants await final licensing approval from state regulators.

The initial openings come two full years after Massachusetts residents backed legalization, a vote hailed by a burgeoning cannabis industry eager to expand its geographic base beyond the several western U.S. states where recreational marijuana is sold.

Massachusetts is projected to see sales of at least $1.8 billion and as high as $5 billion annually, industry leaders predict.

But the road to legal sales has been long and tedious. The original target date of Jan. 1, 2018, was almost immediately pushed back six months by the Legislature. Then the July 1 date came, and went and still no stores were cleared to open. Frustration grew among would-be businesses and consumers alike.

Officials in many communities, including some where a majority of voters had approved legal recreational marijuana, kept pot shops away through moratoriums or zoning restrictions, or by demanding a steep price from cannabis businesses in exchange for signing host community agreements.

Not Northampton, which appeared to roll out the welcome mat. While about 54 percent of all Massachusetts voters supported the 2016 referendum, 73 percent in Northampton gave their blessing, one of the widest margins anywhere in the state.

“It’s already counterculture. It’s like their customers are already here,” said Steve Morin, a 68-year-old retired delivery truck driver and Air Force veteran who lives in Springfield, Mass. He visits Northampton frequently and described himself as an occasional marijuana user who may shop in the store when it opens.

“It will be good for tourism,” he added.