The City of Springfield has shut down Mary Jane Makes Your Heart Sing, a store on Page Boulevard that charged an admission fee and then gave out "free" samples of cannabis to customers.

Springfield Police Sgt. John Delaney and another officer served a cease and desist order to the shop Wednesday afternoon, drawing groans from a line of about 50 people waiting to enter.

The shop's proprietor told the crowd that they were closed, and they quickly dispersed. No criminal charges were filed.

Before its closure, customers would enter the store, have their IDs checked, pay $20 and receive a sample of marijuana or a cannabis edible. A "VIP" cover charge of $50 came with three samples.

Delaney said that Springfield police have been aware of the shop's operations for over a week, and consulted with the Hampden District Attorney's Office, Mayor Domenic Sarno's office and the Attorney General's office before the city law office issued the cease and desist order Wednesday.

"He can no longer do business like he's doing right now -- taking a cover at the door, leaving with a gift of marijuana," Delaney said. "It's not legal in the state to do that. He's not a licensed distributor of marijuana. That's yet to come."

Police close Springfield store that gave out marijuana 14 Gallery: Police close Springfield store that gave out marijuana

The building's owner was also served with a cease and desist. The business owner has cooperated with police, Delaney said.

Tashawn Moore, a Springfield resident who was waiting in line when the store was closed, voiced frustration with the city's decision.

"I think this is ridiculous. We voted for this law, this is what we did," Moore said. "This is all supposed to be legal."

The scene was also graced by the presence of Potsquatch, the mascot of the Springfield store Potco, who gained viral internet fame last month by crashing a television reporter's live shot during a snowstorm.

Potsquatch, otherwise known as Potco owner Dave Mech, waved at cars as they passed and fell to his knees in theatrical pleading as police entered the store to serve the papers.

According to the state's corporate database, Mary Jane Makes Your Heart Sing, LLC was organized on December 17 and is registered to Selina Christian and Charles Christian Jr.

The building is owned by a Springfield-based company registered to Mei Nuan Li, who in 2015 was ordered to pay up to $65,000 to the state for allegations of illegally disposing of asbestos during an Agawam renovation project.

Springfield City Council President Orlando Ramos and Councilor Michael Fenton called for the store's closure Wednesday morning, describing it as "clearly an illegal operation."

Massachusetts voters approved the legalization of recreational marijuana in November, and since December 15 the personal possession of up to an ounce of cannabis is legal. But sales of the drug are still illegal and punishable by up to two and a half years in prison.

Stores with a license from a state Cannabis Control Commission will be allowed to sell marijuana under the terms of the ballot referendum, but those approvals were pushed back to mid-2018 by a law signed by Gov. Charlie Baker in December.

Mary Jane is not the first business to attempt to locate wiggle room in the new law. In January, a man advertised $325 bags on the Western Mass. Craigslist page that included nearly an ounce of "free" marijuana as a gift.

"Disclaimer: I am selling you an empty bag. Marijuana placed in that empty sandwich bag is simply a legal gift, not connected in anyway, to any sale," one ad read.

And on Saturday, the Boston Globe reported on a start-up that delivers $55 lemonades with a marijuana kicker.

Mary Jane has not kept its business a secret. It has a Facebook page, a websiteand a Twitter account, advertising its free samples and its admission fee.