A store in Springfield, Massachusetts that was reportedly trying to skirt the ban on retail marijuana sales was closed by police Wednesday.
The business named Mary Jane Makes Your Heart Sing advertised a $20 cover fee to enter its store and patrons receive a “free sample.”
City Councilor Mike Fenton said he’d received complaints from constituents.
" This is clearly a retail sale of marijuana under the auspices of a gifting scheme," said Fenton. He and City Council President Orlando Ramos had called for the city to shut down the store before the police issued a cease and desist order Wednesday afternoon.
The state’s new marijuana law makes it legal to possess, grow, and give marijuana as a gift, but retail sales are currently banned.
According to published reports, several marijuana entrepreneurs in Massachusetts have sought to exploit what they believe to be a loophole in the voter-approved law.
No one at the Springfield store could be reached for comment Wednesday.
