Page 8A
NATION/WORLD
East Oregonian
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Crowds line up at 1st East Coast pot shops
By STEVEN SENNE AND
BOB SALSBERG
Associated Press
LEICESTER, Mass. —
Customers waited in long
lines, sometimes for hours,
on a cold and rainy New
England day to be among
the first people to legally
buy recreational marijuana
on the U.S. East Coast.
More than two years
after Massachusetts voters
approved of legalizing mar-
ijuana for adults, the state’s
first two fully licensed pot
shops opened Tuesday in
Leicester and Northamp-
ton, selling strains of the
part of the plant that can be
smoked; pre-rolled joints;
and edibles, such as brown-
ies and chocolate bars.
Marijuana is already
sold legally in six Western
states, but the long-awaited
opening of recreational out-
lets in the East was hailed
as major milestone for the
cannabis industry in the
U.S., with Massachusetts
viewed as a potential $1.5
billion-a-year market. Can-
ada began legal sales last
month as well.
A celebratory atmo-
sphere
ruled
outside
the shops, with buyers
undaunted by the grim
weather. Cheers went up
when the stores opened
at 8 a.m. sharp. One man,
who
dubbed
himself
“Potsquatch,” arrived at the
Northampton store adorned
from head to toe in a leafy
marijuana costume.
Customers were shuttled
to Cultivate, the Leices-
ter store, from a parking lot
about a mile away as police
kept a visible but low-key
presence outside. Custom-
ers perused offerings kept
behind counters and under
glass.
Kenny
Boisvert,
a
33-year-old Blackstone res-
ident, was pleasantly sur-
prised by his purchasing
experience.
“It’s a very nice place.
It’s way more than I
expected,” he said as he
waited to pick up edibles
and buds.
There were no immedi-
ate reports of product short-
ages at the stores, some-
thing that has plagued the
initial start of recreational
pot sales in some other
states. Massachusetts’ top
marijuana regulator said the
crowds appeared orderly
and praised operators for
doing a thorough job of
preparing for the first sales.
“It’s only two stores but
it represents, I think, a for-
midable accomplishment,”
said Steven Hoffman,
chairman of the Cannabis
Control Commission, not-
ing the panel started meet-
ing only 14 months ago.
Some legalization advo-
cates have been critical of
the slow pace of regulation
and licensing by the state,
while others have faulted
cities and towns for throw-
ing up roadblocks to mar-
Leon Nguyen/The Republican via AP
A man wearing a costume of “Potsquatch” poses with customers outside New
England Treatment Access cannabis dispensary on the first day of legal recreational
marijuana sales on Tuesday in Northampton, Mass. NETA is one of the first two
shops permitted to sell recreational marijuana in the eastern United States, more
than two years after Massachusetts voters approved it in 2016.
ijuana businesses, or in
some cases banning them
altogether.
The commission issued
final licenses Tuesday to
two more retail stores, in
Salem and Easthampton,
which could open in the
coming weeks. But as yet
there are no pot shops in the
greater Boston area, where
more than half the state’s
population resides.
George Graham, of
Shelton, Connecticut, told
Masslive.com he drove up
Monday and got in line
early at the Northampton
store after spending the
night at a nearby motel.
“Everybody is happy to
celebrate. I think it’s going
to open the door to freedom
for a lot of people in sur-
rounding states,” said Gra-
ham, who is registered to
use medical marijuana in
Connecticut but is hoping
his state will legalize recre-
ational pot.
Democratic Gov.-elect
Ned Lamont of Connecti-
cut supports legalization
and hopes it will be a prior-
ity for state lawmakers next
year. Rhode Island Demo-
cratic Gov. Gina Raimondo
has also said she is open to
legalization.
Daquaan
Hamilton,
a 22-year-old student at
nearby University of Mas-
sachusetts-Amherst, was
among the first inside the
Northampton store after
beginning his wait shortly
after midnight.
“There are a lot of people
throughout our history who
have done prison time for
such minor offenses — like
having weed paraphernalia,
or having small amounts on
them — and the fact that I
can walk out of the store
right now with this and
not be afraid of anything
that can happen to me, it’s
pretty great,” Hamilton told
The Boston Globe.
As the first stores opened
in his state, Democratic
U.S Rep. Joe Kennedy
announced he had changed
his perspective on mari-
juana and would now push
to have the federal govern-
ment legalize and regulate
the drug nationally.
Kennedy said he had
been skeptical of legaliza-
tion in the past because of
concerns that marijuana
could be addictive, espe-
cially for adolescents.
“At the same time, I’ve
heard from others who see
marijuana quite differently.
The parent whose epilep-
tic child needs marijuana to
calm her seizures. The vet-
eran whose trauma it eases.
The black teen arrested for
smoking a joint while his
white friends did the same
with impunity,” Kennedy
wrote in an opinion piece in
STAT, a health and medical
publication.
BRIEFLY
Trump provides
written responses to
Mueller questions
WASHINGTON (AP) —
President Donald Trump has
provided the special counsel’s
office with written answers to
questions about his knowledge
of Russian interference in the
2016 election, his lawyers
said Tuesday, marking the first
time Trump has directly coop-
erated with the investigation.
The step is a milestone in
a months-long negotiation
between Trump’s attorneys
and special counsel Robert
Mueller’s team over whether
and when the president would
sit for an interview. They repre-
sent the first time the president
is known to have described to
investigators his knowledge
of key moments under scru-
tiny by prosecutors. If Mueller
finds the answers satisfactory,
the responses may also help
stave off a potential subpoena
fight over Trump’s testimony.
The compromise outcome,
nearly a year in the making,
offers some benefit to both
sides. Trump avoids, at least
for now, a potentially risky and
unpredictable sit-down with
prosecutors, while Mueller
secures a set of on-the-record
statements whose accuracy the
president and his lawyers will
be expected to stand by for the
duration of the investigation.
“The president today
answered written questions
submitted by the special coun-
sel’s office,” attorney Jay
Sekulow said in a statement.
“The questions presented
dealt with issues regard-
ing the Russia-related topics
of the inquiry. The president
responded in writing.”
Sekulow said in a fol-
low-up message that the legal
team would not release copies
of the questions and answers
or discuss correspondence
with the special counsel’s
office.
Americans,
Canadians are
warned: Don’t eat
romaine lettuce
NEW YORK (AP) —
Health officials in the U.S. and
Canada told people on Tues-
day to stop eating romaine let-
tuce because of a new E. coli
outbreak.
The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration said it is work-
ing with officials in Canada on
the outbreak, which has sick-
ened 32 people in 11 states
and 18 people in the Cana-
dian provinces of Ontario and
Quebec.
The strain identified is dif-
ferent than the one linked to
romaine earlier this year but
appears similar to last year’s
outbreak linked to leafy
greens.
FDA Commissioner Scott
Gottlieb said the agency
doesn’t have enough infor-
mation to ask suppliers for a
recall, but he suggested that
supermarkets and restaurants
should withdraw romaine until
the source of the contamina-
tion can be identified.
The contaminated lettuce is
likely still on the market, Got-
tlieb told The Associated Press
in a phone interview Tuesday.
Caravan migrants
weigh options after
court blocks Trump
ban
TIJUANA, Mexico (AP)
— Migrants camped in
Tijuana after traveling in a car-
avan to reach the U.S were
weighing their options Tues-
day after a U.S. court blocked
President Donald Trump’s
asylum ban for illegal border
crossers.
Many said they have no
intention of breaking the law,
but were feeling pressure after
anti-migrant protests in this
Mexican border city amid
claims by Trump and the
Tijuana mayor that the cara-
van harbors gang members
and criminals, something they
strongly deny.
The Museum Store at
Tamástslikt Cultural Institute
Holiday Sale
30% to 70%
off everything!
November 23 & 24
It’s Black Friday and Small
Business Saturday at the
Museum Store. Everything is
marked down 30%-70% off
for two days only! You’ll find
incredible deals on Pendleton
blankets, jewelry, children’s toys
and books, apparel, CDs and
DVDs, art, and fleece items.
Don’t miss out!
*Offers not good in conjunction with other
offers, discounts.
Be a part of the giving by becoming a Winterfest Sponsor.
Contact Emily Smith at 541-278-2627 about Sponsorship
information, your help is greatly appreciated
in making this wonderful event a success.
Friday DECEMBER 7 th , 2018
Evening Gala | 6:00 pm
Saturday DECEMBER 8 th , 2018
Family Day | 10am-2pm
21 or older | $40 EACH
FREE ADMISSION
tickets sold via presale at
SAHPENDLETON.ORG/WINTERFEST
or by calling 541-278-2627
Sponsored by
WIldhorse Resort & Casino
• Prime Rib and Salmon Dinner
• Lunch with Santa & his elves
• Live and Silent Auctions
• Make ornaments & playdough
• Music, Dancing, full cash bar,
table games gift shop, wreaths,
and swags for sale
• Write letters to Santa
BOTH EVENTS WILL BE LOCATED AT THE
Pendleton Convention Center
For more information or to purchase tickets, contact
St. Anthony Hospital Foundation at 541-278-2627
Proceeds benefi t St. Anthony Hospital Foundation, Cason’s Place
Grief Support for Children & Families, and Pioneer relief nursery.
More information is available at
SAHPENDLETON.ORG/WINTERFEST
FIRST FRIDAYS ARE FREE!
Exhibits, Museum Store Open Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm
Kinship Café Open Mon-Sat, 11am-2pm
541.429.7700 | www.tamastslikt.org