Brookline pot shop opens for recreational marijuana sales on Saturday

BROOKLINE, Mass. — New England Treatment Access began the sale of recreational marijuana, and the local community is gearing up for the monumental opening.

Beginning Saturday, the shop in Brookline Village became the closest pot shop to Boston, changing how people can get their pot in Massachusetts.

With pot shops only in places like Leicester, Wareham and Salem, NETA beginning the next step has some in the metro area excited.

"I think it's great," Brookline native Alycia Buchheit said. "It's great tax dollars."

The shop is the first to provide easy access for those riding the T, just steps away from the Brookline Village T stop on the Green Line.

Brookline Police told Boston 25 News they've been preparing for weeks, with officers briefed on the regulations of recreational marijuana use, and said they're prepared to enforce the law when necessary.

However, despite the shop being so close to the T, people who live in the area are still concerned about congestion and how the easy access could affect Brookline. Route 9 runs directly in front of the shop, with a fire station located across the street and a hospital a quarter mile down the road.

"I think it's going to make traffic a lot worse," Brookline native Dana Hopings said. "I do wonder what it’s going to be like, how it’s going to change the neighborhood. I mean, right now, it’s mostly commuters and families and kids on scooters and things like that, so I do wonder what it will be like once it opens."

Additional police officers will be on duty Saturday and the busy days that follow. NETA has only 14 parking stops at it’s Washington St. location, and the lot will be closed for at least a week to leave room for lines of customers.

We're very comfortable with the operation plan we have in place," said Lt. Philip Harrington of Brookline Police. "As stated we’ll have extra staff on board not just here, but other areas to facilitate the traffic."

The shop will make its first recreational sale on Saturday at 9 a.m., and hundreds are expected to show up.

"We will have a designated parking lot across the street with some patient only parking," said Amanda Rositano, the Compliance Director of NETA. "And we also have 25 spots down the street at the Homewood Suites Hotel for additional customer and patient parking."

Brookline Police has extra officers working to help control the crowds, and they're asking customers to use the T.

"We're accessible from the D line, the E line and a whole bunch of bus lines," said Brookline Select Board Chair Neil Wishinsky, who will make the first purchase on opening day.

"This is really a sign of how times have changed and that elections really have consequences."