The first recreational pot shop in the immediate vicinity of Boston has announced its opening date.
New England Treatment Access' location in Brookline, Massachusetts, will begin selling to recreational customers at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 23, the store said Friday.
The dispensary, located under half a mile from the Boston line at the intersection of Route 9 and Washington Street, has been open to medical patients since 2016.
"We look forward to welcoming our new customers, but we want our patients to know that they will always be our top priority," NETA's director of operational compliance, Amanda Rositano, said in a statement Friday. "Our commitment to excellence will be our guide as we serve our patients and customers in the years ahead."
NETA's location in Northampton was one of the first two stores to sell marijuana products to recreational customers in the eastern U.S.
As of Friday, recreational sales had begun at 10 shops in Massachusetts. Patriot Care in Lowell plans to open to adult use customers Saturday. Five other shops have also received final licenses from the state. Of those 16 locations, only Brookline is in the immediate area around Boston.
NETA dealt with large crowds in the weeks after beginning recreational sales in Northampton, and it has an online order reservation system. Still, the proximity to the city has officials preparing for traffic. NETA agreed to open on a Saturday, as Brookline officials requested, in order to give police time to work out any issues that may arise before the work week.
"When surrounding traffic is down, we can test it out and hopefully, the curiosity will die down a bit before the week comes," said Wishinsky, chair of Brookline's select board, said last week.
