SALEM — Alternative Therapies Group saw a slightly delayed, but otherwise smooth opening of recreational marijuana sales Saturday morning.

By 10 a.m., the line to get in was growing beyond ATG's parking lot at 50 Grove St. and down a sidewalk along the property, as people with pre-registered appointments waited to enter.

"I'm watching the lines grow as people are taking a little more time inside than anticipated," said police Capt. Conrad Prosniewski. "We're hoping that isn't something that keeps growing."

LIVE BLOG: Retail pot sales begin in Salem Alternative Therapies Group in Salem officially begins to offer retail marijuana sales Satur…

Beyond that, there have been no other issues so far with ATG's high-profile kickoff as the third adult-use marijuana retailer statewide.

"The plan we laid out is working," Prosniewski said. "The crowds that we anticipated coming in earlier really never appeared. We had a very orderly crowd. It looks like people are sticking to the appointments-only schedule."

Many came to the site via free shuttles running from the north end of downtown Salem. Others were parking their cars along Harmony Grove Road. The ATG parking lot has been reserved for medical ATG customers, as well as other users of the 50 Grove St. property. As of 10 a.m., that lot is almost entirely empty.

The ceremonial first purchase went to Josh Turiel, Salem's Ward 5 city councilor. He spent $107.60 on a $15 "pre-roll" of Chronic-strain marijuana, a $60 Girl Scout Cookies craft vaping pen cartridge and a $19 battery pack. With 2.33 grams of marijuana purchased, the local and state tax hit on that came to $13.78, according to his receipt.

But long before Turiel arrived to make the first transaction, Beverly resident Christopher Holland quietly stood in line as security and police went over their plans for the day an hour before opening.

"I'm here just to make a legal purchase of marijuana," Holland, 40, said. "I've smoked for years, basically, and to be honest, this is a big step. I know a lot of friends of mine have been arrested for marijuana use and things of that nature."

For Holland, "it's a big step to not have to worry about being prosecuted for something that's seemingly normal for other people," he said.

Several others waiting in line declined to be interviewed. With television cameras scattered throughout the area, some have been hiding their faces with printed copies of ATG's menus.

The scene has also been quiet for anyone looking to cash in on ATG's opening today. Martha Everson, an artist with a studio on the second floor of 50 Grove St, was the only vendor set up Saturday morning.

In addition to canvases, clocks and other gift ideas, Everson was selling "stash cans," decorative containers that double as childproof storage for marijuana. Most of them bore some relationship to pot sales going online, with some of the designs featuring the Dec. 15 date of ATG opening recreational sales and a note about Salem "still making history."

"I came up with this idea two weeks ago and thought, well, I better take advantage of being here," she said, laughing.

Contact Salem reporter Dustin Luca at 978-338-2523 or DLuca@salemnews.com. Follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/dustinluca or on Twitter @DustinLucaSN.