Fall River pot shop opens for recreational marijuana business

By: Amanda Pitts

alpitts@abc6.com

@APittsABC6

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) – Bristol County’s first recreational marijuana shop opened its doors Sunday in Fall River.

“Prohibition is over for Southern New England and we’re really proud to be the ones,” said Founder and CEO Chris Harkins.

Northeast Alternatives on William S. Canning Boulevard has been open since June for medical marijuana patients, but now the long wait for recreational pot in the area is over.

“This is mind-blowing. I never thought this would ever happen in my lifetime,” said April Crotteau of Fall River.

“I’ve thought about this, like, imagine having a marijuana shop close to home. And it’s finally here! So I’m really excited about it,” said Nick Gallucci of Dartmouth.

Despite the weather, the grand opening was busy, and lines flowed smoothly. To help with traffic concerns, the dispensary is using an app to create a virtual line. Customers reserve a spot by texting “NEA” to 508-687-5704, and get an alert to jump into line. Owners said they plan to continue using it until business dies down.

“The wait was really quick, the app was awesome, walked right in,” said Justin Lineberry of Jamestown.

An ounce of marijuana or five grams of concentrate is all you can purchase at a time. Customers over 21 must bring a valid I.D. and will have it scanned. Transactions are cash only.

While customers we spoke to say getting their pot from a dispensary is pricey, it’s worth it to know where it’s coming from.

“I don’t have to worry about buying something off the street and it being laced with something,” said Crotteau.

“I know it’s stuff that I can trust, you know, I don’t have to second guess it,” said Gallucci.

The shop is open this week from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Ongoing hours will be Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

(c) WLNE-TV 2019