The co-owner of a Springfield store shuttered by the city for giving out marijuana after charging an admission fee said Friday he believes his operation was allowed under Massachusetts' marijuana legalization law.

"As a small, local business we tried to provide a safe and friendly environment for our customers to purchase vape and smoking accessories," Charles Christian Jr, co-owner of Mary Jane Makes Your Heart Sing in Springfield, said Friday.

He said his business model has been "misinterpreted and misconstrued" by "a few individuals" in recent days. The business will remain closed in cooperation with the city's cease and desist order as he attempts to find a legal way forward, according to Christian.

"We want to clarify that we do not sell marijuana. We provide it as a free gift upon leaving our store to thank customers for their patronage," Christian said. "The admission fee simply gives you access to our premises, just like a club, and can be used toward the purchase of our merchandise."

The store was shut down Wednesday after police served a cease and desist order, frustrating a crowd of about 50 people waiting to get in at the time.

Before its closure, Mary Jane Makes Your Heart Sing charged a $20 admission fee, which came with a "free" gram of marijuana or a cannabis edible and could be applied to the accessories and apparel on sale in the store. A VIP entry, for $50, came with three samples.

On Wednesday, Springfield Police Sgt. John Delaney said that Springfield police had 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."

Massachusetts voters approved the legalization of recreational marijuana in November, and since December 15 the personal possession and gifting 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.

Christian said he and his wife Selina, who jointly own the business, read the law carefully before opening the store.

He also acknowledged the business could legally reopen and sell apparel and smoking supplies, but said he realized the chief draw of the business were the cannabis samples given to customers.

"Lets just being frank here. It wasn't the vape, it wasn't the grinders that we had or the hats and the clothes," Christian said. "People were coming for the marijuana."

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

Christian read a statement calling on Ramos, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno and Gov. Charlie Baker to meet with him to chart a path forward.

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 was not the first business to attempt to skirt 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.

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