(Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

By Gintautas Dumcius | MassLive

Retail stores that sell recreational marijuana are open in Massachusetts.

More than two years after Bay State voters approved a ballot question broadly legalizing recreational marijuana, state regulators have provided final sign-offs to the stores, and all that's left is the "commence operations" notice.

Two companies were cleared to open their stores on Tuesday, Nov. 20: New England Treatment Access (NETA) in Northampton and Cultivate in Leicester.

It's a milestone for a new industry, as well as a state that once put a captain in the public stocks for kissing his wife on a Sunday. Now Massachusetts has legalized recreational and medical marijuana, and built a resort casino in the western part of the state and a slots parlor on the state border with Rhode Island. Sports betting is a possibility if state lawmakers decided to move ahead next year.

For marijuana advocates, regulators, entrepreneurs, and now customers, things are just getting started.

Here's what you should know about marijuana in Massachusetts.

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You must be 21 or older

Under the law passed by voters in 2016, you have to be 21 or older to legally buy and consume marijuana. (There are some medical exceptions.)

You don't have to be a Massachusetts resident. But you must have a government-issued ID, like a driver's license, ID card or passport.

For people who are between 18 years old and under 21, possession is not legal and they can see a civil penalty of $100.

People under the age of 18 possessing an ounce or less of marijuana receive a civil citation with a $100 penalty and a requirement to complete a drug awareness program.

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New England Treatment Access in Northampton, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Where are the shops opening?

Two companies received the first Massachusetts retail licenses: New England Treatment Access has a retail license in Northampton, in the same building as its medical marijuana dispensary at 118 Conz Street.

NETA have products that include flowers, edibles, creams and suppositories, according to the Associated Press.

"The medical-use operation is located on the left side of the sales floor and sells marijuana infused products ('MIPS'), flower, and concentrates to registered patients," according to a description of the NETA operation posted by state regulators.

Retail sales will occur on the right side. "The sales area is divided by retractable belt-barrier posts,"the document adds. Customers are only granted access to a bathroom, patient consultation room, and the sales area."

Cultivate has a retail license in Leicester, located in Worcester County and in the same location as its medical marijuana dispensary at 1764 Main Street.

A third company, Pharmacannis Massachusetts in Wareham, on 112 Main Street, also received a retail license after NETA and Cultivate, but still has several regulatory hurdles to clear.

Additional retail licenses are in the regulatory pipeline.

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Be prepared for traffic

In the case of NETA, the company is working with Northampton to manage the traffic that's expected to hit the area as NETA becomes among the first retail marijuana shops to open on the east coast.

"We expect it to be busy but well managed," Amanda Rositano, director of compliance for NETA, told The Republican/MassLive.

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(AP Photo/Steven Senne)

How much can I buy?

As state law indicates, you can possess up to 1 ounce outside of your primary residence and no more than 5 grams of marijuana concentrate.

Since marijuana pot shops are still a new thing in Massachusetts, be prepared to wait in line and for demand to outstrip supply in this early phase.

NETA has indicated on its website that there may be "some initial purchase limits" at is store. "Limits will be evaluated on a daily basis and remove or reduce them when we can," the company says.

Separately, state law allows you to gift up to 1 ounce to another person.

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Where can I consume it?

Basically, you're limited to your home. And even that comes with possible limits if you're a renter. (Hundreds of thousands of people in Massachusetts rent.)

Consuming marijuana or marijuana products in public is still prohibited under state law.

If an area bans tobacco smoking, that means it also bans smoking marijuana. Consuming marijuana in public or smoking marijuana in public carries a civil penalty of up to $100.

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Okay, so what if I rent?

A landlord can prohibit or regulate marijuana smoking in the lease agreement. That also goes for display, production, processing, manufacturing, or sale of marijuana and marijuana accessories if it's on property owned by the landlord.

"Some landlords might be fine with it, and others would say absolutely not," says Adam Fine, an attorney, told MassLive in an interview shortly after the marijuana legalization question passed.

But a lease agreement cannot ban a tenant from consuming marijuana in ways other than smoking. If you're consuming an edible, theoretically you're not bothering someone else, unlike smoking, which can cause a smell and bother others in the same building.

Though even that narrow exemption comes with some caveats, particularly if the property is public housing or a building owned by the state or a county, city or town, or state and local government agency.

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A young man sits in an outdoor cafe and smokes a marijuana joint August 9, 2001 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Nina Ruecker/Getty Images)

What about cannabis cafes?

Marijuana bars or cannabis cafes aren't coming to Massachusetts anytime soon.

Shaleen Title, one of the five members of the Cannabis Control Commission, said consumption inside cafes, yoga studios and movie theaters is likely "years" away.

"This is not going to happen immediately because there is no workable process under the law by which a city or town can allow this," she recently said, adding that it's something the commission is working through.

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Pay attention to the labeling

If and when you do buy marijuana or a marijuana product, be aware of what you're consuming. Pay attention to the labeling, since it will provide information on consumption and whether the package includes multiple servings.

State regulations also call for the packaging to be child-resistant and carry a warning label. You can see the warning sign that's required on packaging here.

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What are the rules for transporting it?

Again, you can possess marijuana outside your primary residence, up to 1 ounce. That includes a motor vehicle, but the marijuana or marijuana product must be in a sealed container or secured in the trunk or locked glove compartment.

A violation could lead to a civil penalty of up to $500.

"You want to be careful there, that it's locked. If it's an open container of any kind, and that means if the marijuana package is open and it looks like it's used in any way, then it needs to be in your trunk or in your locked glove compartment," Fine, the attorney, has told MassLive.

"That's a safer place to store the marijuana anyway," he added. "So you will be able to transport marijuana."

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(Gintautas Dumcius/MassLive)

Operating under the influence is still illegal

Operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of marijuana, also known as drugged driving or driving while stoned, is illegal. Penalties are the same as the ones for drunk driving.

"I just want everyone to recognize that impaired is impaired is impaired, okay?" Jennifer Queally, the state undersecretary for law enforcement, said at the recent unveiling of a public safety information campaign.

"Regardless of whether it's alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, other legal drugs, if you are impaired and you drive a car, it is illegal, it's dangerous and it's deadly, okay?" she said.

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Yes, recreational marijuana is taxed

While the law approved by voters had a 12 percent tax on marijuana, Massachusetts lawmakers went in and rewrote the law to substantially increase it.

When you're buying marijuana, there's the regular 6.25 percent sales tax, on top of a 10.75 percent excise tax. Cities and towns can add a 3 percent "local option" tax, bringing the possible total to 20 percent.

Medical marijuana remains untaxed.

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What happens to medical marijuana?

Medical marijuana dispensaries that are also operating recreational pot shops must have enough product available to serve their patients.

The state's medical marijuana program, run by the state Department of Public Health, is moving under the Cannabis Control Commission.

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(AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)

What about home growing?

Home growing doesn't change and it's been allowed since the end of 2016.

Inside your primary residence, if you own the home, you can possess up to 10 ounces and marijuana produced by plants cultivated onsite. A household can possess up to 12 plants.

Any amount of marijuana or marijuana products over one ounce must be secured by a lock inside the residence, according to the Cannabis Control Commission.

If you don't lock up your marijuana, you could be subject to a civil penalty of up to $100 and the forfeiture of the marijuana.

The commission adds: "An individual cannot produce cannabis-based extracts or concentrates at home by means of any liquid or gas, other than alcohol, that has a flashpoint below 100 degrees Fahrenheit."

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Wait, so about that July 1 opening date...

July 1 was a target date for the opening of marijuana retail shops, and the day came and went. But the date was never enshrined in state law or in the rewrite passed by Massachusetts legislators.

"We have always said we're going to get this right and that's more important to us than an artificial deadline," Steve Hoffman, chairman of the Cannabis Control Commission, told reporters.

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Is home delivery of marijuana available?

No, not yet. Like cannabis cafes, that is an area of industry regulation that the Cannabis Control Commission is still working on.

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(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

What about marijuana in the workplace?

Employers are allowed to place restrictions on the consumption of marijuana at work.

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Marijuana remains illegal at the federal level

Earlier this year, US Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew Lelling laid out areas of potential prosecution amid the legalization of marijuana at the state level.

His statement said his office plans to direct its energies towards prosecutions over the opioid epidemic, while looking into three marijuana-related areas: Overproduction that could lead to illegal sales in other states, the "targeting" the drug to people under the age of 21, and continuing to chase gangs like MS-13 that are involved in illegal distribution across state lines.

Hoffman, the chairman of the Cannabis Control Commission, said, "I think he offered some clarity and I think clarity's a good thing, particularly in an uncertain environment like we're operating in."

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What about selling and growing hemp?

The Cannabis Control Commission says, "Under the law, industrial hemp can only be used for research purposes and for commercial purposes determined to be reasonable by the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR). The Massachusetts DAR is the agency responsible for this process."

The agency's website has a Frequently Asked Questions document available here.

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(AP Photo/John Locher, File)

More on the Cannabis Control Commission

The five commission members include a former executive for Bain and Company, the co-founder of a cannabis staff recruiting firm, and a former assistant attorney general, among the others.

Meet them here.

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Read more on MassLive:

This post was updated with additional information on NETA.

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Related video: Attorney Adam Fine discusses marijuana legalization with MassLive