Dispensaries open their doors as police prepare to screen drivers.
SILVER SPRING, Md. โ Recreational use of marijuana for those 21 or older became legal in Maryland Saturday, and people eager to wake up and smell the weed were lined up outside of dispensaries to be among the first to purchase the drug under the new state law.
“It relaxes me, helps me through my pain, helps me deal with life, helps make life a little more enjoyable,” said Kirk Palmer, who was fourth in line at RISE Silver Spring before it opened.
RISE Silver Spring, previously a medical marijuana dispensary, is one of 18 facilities in Montgomery County now selling cannabis for recreational use. CEO Ben Kovlar travels across the country as states legalize, and he often sees lines before dispensaries open, as in Silver Spring.
“This is not a brand new product,” Kovlar said. “People overwhelmingly have tried this and used it before …