Gary Dorestan, 22, a student from Philadelphia, said it was a relief to no longer have to buy from random pot dealers.
Another customer, Hannah Wydro, of Washington, N.J., said she had always discussed her marijuana accessory business discreetly because “you don’t know if you’re going to be banned for things.”
But the legalization of recreational marijuana in her state is changing that.
“Now I feel free and excited,” she said.
At another Apothecarium dispensary, in Maplewood, N.J., customers stopped at a table with various brands of marijuana bud displayed in clear plastic canisters with holes in the top for sniffing.
Nick Damelio, 27, a cultivation manager, fielded questions from customers waiting outside.
Mr. Damelio, who wore a long gold chain bearing a large marijuana bud pendant, told customers that sativa-type strains would provide an energetic high, while indica was more relaxing.
As a suggestion, he said the dispensary’s strain called Gorilla Glue was so named because “it makes you stick when you sit down on the couch.”
A third Apothecarium dispensary is set to open in Lodi, N.J., later this year, with a drive-through window.
Corey Kilgannon reported from Maplewood, N.J.; Justin Morris reported from Paterson and Elizabeth, N.J.; and Sean Piccoli reported from Bloomfield and Phillipsburg, N.J.
