Finally, three-and-a-half years after Massachusetts voted to legalize adult-use marijuana, Boston is getting its first pot shop.

Aptly named “Pure Oasis,” the dispensary is located in the Boston neighborhood of Dorchester and will open its doors on March 9, 2020 after having received official notice from the state’s Cannabis Control Commission (CCC).

The dispensary also happens to be the first application to come through the CCC’s economic empowerment program, which is implementing a variety of programs to include people from communities that were negatively impacted by the war on drugs, ensure their inclusion in the cannabis industry and speed up the license review process…notwithstanding the three years to get approval.

Following final authorization by the CCC, Pure Oasis’ co-founders Kobie Evans and Kevin Hart, spoke to the press in Boston.

“On behalf of the entire team at Pure Oasis, we are excited to reach this important moment where we will open our doors as the first retail cannabis business in Boston and as the first economic empowerment candidate in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.” Evans and Hart said.

Evans and Hart said they began making plans to open their dispensary when marijuana was legalized in 2016 in the Commonwealth state.

“We are excited to reach this important moment where we will open our doors as the first retail cannabis business in Boston and as the first economic empowerment candidate in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” they said in a statement.

A milestone for Massachusetts

While the Pure Oasis is the 40th dispensary to open in Massachusetts, it is the first in Boston, the state capital and one of the oldest cities in the United States.

The first two dispensaries opened in Leicester and Northampton on Thanksgiving eve of 2018 when Massachusetts became the first state on the East Coast where adults were able to legally purchase recreational cannabis.

A demonstration of Massachusetts’ cannabis appetite became evident about a year ago when a dispensary in Brookline, near Boston, opened its doors and quickly became one of the busiest in the country.

As with the start-up of most dispensaries, the Pure Oasis is gearing up for a busy opening.

The Boston Globe reported last week that they are expecting up to 1,000 customers a day and have rented an extra space next door to accommodate up to 100 people so they can wait in line indoors.

Pure Oasis is opening in their own neighborhood.

“We’re happy to be in Grove Hall,” Hart previously told local TV station WBUR.

“We have deep roots in the neighborhood so we can celebrate that. And we’re excited to be Boston’s first.”