Montana cannabis stores open to happy customers braving freezing temperatures

It was three degrees this morning in Missoula, Montana, but that didn’t stop customers from queuing for the first day of legal marijuana sales. When it struck 10 a.m., happy Montans flocked to the Spark1 pharmacy in downtown Missoula, which is now sold to all 21 and older.

Customers line up outside Spark1 in Missoula on New Years Day in 3-degree temperatures to shop for adult marijuana sales in Montana on the first day of sales. (Photo: Ariana Newton)

David Williams was one of the first customers to arrive after waiting outside for almost half an hour in sub-zero temperatures. A big fan of concentrates, Williams bought six different grams of shatter and two types of crumble.

“These people in line have so much enthusiasm,” he told Leafly.

When sales started the staff were just giddy. “It feels like a lot of hard work is bearing fruit,” said Marc Lax, CEO of Spark1.

Spark1 CEO Marc Lax expects the first customers in 2022. (Photo: Max Savage Levenson)

Related

How to find Montana’s adult cannabis stores open

Voters in Montana voted in the November 2020 elections to pass Initiative 190 to legalize and regulate cannabis for all adults. January 2021 – but it took an additional year for Montana’s retail licensing system to go live.

Leafly’s Max Savage Levenson will receive additional reports from retail stores in Montana later on the state’s opening day. Check back soon.

Max Savage Levenson

Max Savage Levenson probably has the lowest cannabis tolerance of any writer on the cannabis beat. He also writes on music for Pitchfork, Bandcamp and other bespectacled folk. He is co-host of The Hash podcast. His dream interview is Tyler the Creator.

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