First recreational marijuana sales draws customers from as far as New Jersey to Leicester
Stephen Mandile of Uxbridge makes the first legal purchase of marijuana at Leicester dispensary Cultivate.
Photo | Zachary Comeau
Customers wait patiently outside Cultivate to legally purchase cannabis.
Photo | Zachary Comeau
Stephen Mandile of Uxbridge makes the first legal purchase of marijuana at Leicester dispensary Cultivate.
Photo | Zachary Comeau
Customers begin purchasing cannabis products at Cultivate in Leicester.
The first legally purchased marijuana east of the Mississippi River was an eighth of Jack Herer and two pre-rolls for Uxbridge resident and Iraq War veteran Stephen Mandile, purchased from Leicester dispensary Cultivate.
The $98 transaction drew a raucous applause from the crowd packed inside the store.
“This is an honor,” said the 41-year-old veteran and advocate for the expansion of marijuana legalization for use among war veterans.
Given his work in the space, Mandile, along with his service dog Syd, was chosen to be Cultivate’s first customer.
Mandile worked on the campaign to legalize marijuana voters ultimately passed in November 2016.
“It feels great to be able to follow that through to today, on the other end now, getting the first purchase,” he said.
Uxbridge is about a half hour drive from Leicester, but other customers in line Tuesday had a much longer drive.
Tom Gilligan and his girlfriend Boudicca Arieli made a four-and-a-half hour drive from New Jersey. They stayed overnight in Southbridge.
“Four-and-a-half hours isn’t that bad to be a part of history,” Gilligan said.
Most in the early lines were already pot users or advocates, including Adam Ace Spencer, chief creative director of Massachusetts Cannabis Review, who was right behind Mandile in line videotaping the historic moment.
He grabbed an eighth of Sour Diesel after starting his day at 5:30 a.m. from Medford.
“This is a historic moment,” he said.
Even though an ounce costs $420 with taxes, the high prices, Spencer said, are worth it. He pointed to the quality control, accessibility and options the legal market has compared to the black market.
Before the doors were opened, Cultivate President Sam Barber said those prices will eventually drop, but the business requires a lot of capital to get going.
The dispensary has been open for about a year for medical patients, and the company has been working since then to prepare for Tuesday, including the creation of 35 new jobs.
He said the excessive planning and hours of work leading up to the moment hasn’t truly let him grasp the idea of selling the first legal cannabis on the East Coast, but he said his staff seemed more excited than the customers.
After Mandile’s purchase, Barber spoke to his staff and the line of patient customers, speaking of a de-stigmatized cannabis culture.
“We’re going to work our hardest to make sure this is a huge benefit for everybody,” he said. “People are going to change their minds about cannabis.”
Cultivate and the Northampton dispensary of New England Treatment Access both opened Tuesday and are currently the only dispensaries allowed to sell recreational products.
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