As Vermont launches retail cannabis sales, customers line up in downtown Burlington

Amy Bacon was afforded two honors at the opening of Ceres Collaborative dispensary in downtown Burlington on Saturday — the first day cannabis could be sold at retail stores in Vermont.

Bacon, the company’s production manager and its longest-tenured employee, got to open the doors to its College Street store promptly at 10 a.m. and then become its first official customer.

By then, a long line of customers had formed, extending through an alley to a parking lot near the Center Street bar Daily Planet.

After years of buildup, chief operating officer Russ Todia stood outside the store and shouted to the crowd, “Let’s open these doors!” As customers cheered, Bacon complied with a beaming smile. A few minutes later she reemerged with a small paper bag.

“We’ve worked toward this day for a long time,” Bacon said. “It’s just an incredible feeling.”

signed off on retail cannabis sales — and more than four years after they OKed personal cultivation and possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The state Cannabis Control Board, which regulates the industry in Vermont, had been working to clear a backlog of license requests in the weeks leading up to Oct. 1. Including Ceres, a total of four stores were licensed by the state to open Saturday: Mountain Girl in Rutland, FLORA in Middlebury and Bud Barn in Brattleboro, though Bud Barn’s owners said they likely would not open for a few more weeks.

In Burlington on Saturday, Ceres’ storefront was decorated with banners and balloons. A man filmed the first 20 people to enter the store for promotional use by the company.

The first member of the public in line was Bryan Menard of Burlington, who said he arrived around 6:30 a.m. on Saturday.

“I should have said 4:20,” Menard joked.

An hour before opening, Menard waited outside the door with about five others, none of whom wanted to be identified other than Menard. By the time Bacon opened the front door, more than 100 people stood in line.

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As Vermont launches retail cannabis sales, customers line up in downtown Burlington

Author: CSN

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