Recreational marijuana is now on sale on the East Coast

LEICESTER, Massachusetts – Recreational marijuana is now on sale on the east coast.

Massachusetts became the first state in the east of Mississippi to legally sell recreational grass on Tuesday, while two marijuana dispensaries were open to the public more than two years after the approval of its use by voters.

The two dispensaries are Cultivate Holdings in Leicester and New England Treatment Access in Northampton, located respectively in the center and west of the state.

"To get here, licensees have undergone extensive background checks, have passed multiple inspections, and their products have been tested to ensure public health and safety as this new industry moves forward. will grow, "said Steven J. Hoffman, president of the Cannabis Control Commission.

Massachusetts residents voted to legalize the use, distribution and cultivation of marijuana for recreational purposes at a 2016 referendum.

Both stores have opened their doors to long lines of customers eager to become acquainted with cannabis. The Cultivate Holdings menu includes various marijuana flower strains, edible biscuits, oils and a product called Pumpkin Spice Dust.

Cultivate Holdings said on Instagram that its first client was Stephen Mandile, a war veteran in Iraq who had been wounded in action.

"It's an honor, something incredible. I had probably dreamed in high school that that day would come one day, "Mandile told CNN affiliate, WBZ. "I'm going to smoke a bit of history later today."

The first New England Treatment Access client was Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz, who was smiling for his cameras when he bought them.

Buyers must be at least 21 years old and retailers can not sell more than one ounce of marijuana or five grams of marijuana concentrate, according to the commission. Leicester police have warned that legalizing grass does not make driving lawful or under 21.

A number of states have legalized the use of marijuana for recreational purposes in recent years and a Gallup poll in October 2017 found that nearly two in three Americans report that the drug should be legal.

Like Massachusetts, Maine has approved the use of marijuana for recreational purposes in 2016, but the state has yet to develop rules governing its sale. Washington, DC has also approved the recreational use of cannabis, but it is not yet legal to buy or sell there.