How it looked inside N.J.’s upscale weed dispensaries on the first day of legal sales: photos

There are no tie-dye shirts, dancing bears, or blacklight posters. This isn’t your old-fashion head shop.

Step inside any dispensary that opened for recreational weed sales in New Jersey on Thursday and you might be surprised at the classy and organized experience.

Touch-screen kiosks for advance ordering. Separate lines and clearly-marked signs for medical or adult-use customers. A checkout counter that looks like a bank and customer service that makes you feel like you’re at an Apple store.

This is what legal recreational weed in New Jersey looks like.

Around the state, a dozen alternative treatment center locations began legal adult-use sales. At each location hundreds of people waited in line, in some instances since midnight, to be among the first to buy.

“Today really is a huge day,” said Edmund DeVeaux, president of the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association who was at The Botanist’s opening in Williamstown. “Most people I’m sure in their minds are thinking this is a great opportunity to buy product and get high but we view this as a date, historic day for the state of New Jersey.”

He said it’s about getting well — for the people who haven’t gotten a medical card and have undiagnosed symptoms that cannabis can treat, as well as moving toward social justice reform and financial benefits.

“We’re talking about getting well socially, doing away with the stigma that was attached to people who use cannabis. And we’re getting well economically. When you speak to those municipal leaders that have had cannabis operations in their towns, they are benefiting not just from the tax revenue, but cannabis.”

Gov. Phil Murphy said the state expects the brand new industry to generate more than $2 billion in sales over the next four years. He said the industry will also create jobs and bring hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in tax revenue to the state.