WARE — Curaleaf’s recreational marijuana store in town had been open just 10 days when an emergency order by Gov. Charlie Baker closed all “nonessential” businesses to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

But while recreation marijuana sales are deemed nonessential, that’s not the case for medical marijuana, which requires a doctor’s recommendation to buy. Medical marijuana dispensaries were deemed essential and allowed to remain open.

The Ware Board of Selectmen voted 3-1 Tuesday to support Curaleaf’s request to open a medical marijuana dispensary at the same location as its recreational sales, 124 West St.

Curaleaf Massachusetts president Patrik Jonsson told selectmen that the two types of business would be “co-located — that’s what we’re trying to achieve.”

Jonsson said the building has room for 16 sales counters, and that two of them would be dedicated for medical marijuana sales.

There is “plenty of space to just designate two of them for medical,” he said. “Besides that, there is no change to our operation.”

Prior to getting state approval for the change, Curaleaf is required to negotiate a new host agreement with the town of Ware and obtain a special permit to operate. Jonsson said he is hopeful approvals would be in place to open for medical sales by the end of this year.

Curaleaf, the largest marijuana company in the U.S., already operates medical marijuana dispensaries in Hanover and Oxford. They remain open for medical sales.

The company opened its Ware store March 14. Baker announced the shutdown of nonessential businesses March 23, and it is currently set to expire May 4.

Baker this week extended the shutdown of schools from May 4 through the end of the academic year. He would not say if the business shutdown will be extended, but did say the state will need to meet certain prerequisites before it can reopen, including a decline of positive COVID-19 test results and hospitalizations over multiple, consecutive days.

On its Facebook page, Curaleaf encouraged customers to sign a petition urging that recreational marijuana sales be deemed essential business.

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