The first, recreational marijuana dispensary in Ottawa County history opened its doors to the public on Monday, while the owners of “Exit 9 Provisionary” say--it’s the end of an era that has long criminalized cannabis enthusiasts in West Michigan.
The new store derives its name literally from exit 9 off of Interstate 96 in Nunica, Michigan, and is run and operated by Agri-Med LLC; the same company that opened up Muskegon’s first recreational dispensary last year, after Michigan voters approved the legalization of marijuana back in 2018.
Tracy Powers is the company’s vice-president. She says for Ottawa County to allow a recreational marijuana dispensary to operate within its borders, is an example of how overall attitudes have changed when it comes to smoking pot, or consuming products that contain delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.
“Prohibition is over in Ottawa County,” Powers said. “It’s a big deal, it’s been a long time coming,” she said.
“This is a very conservative town; I mean, heck, when I was younger, Holland, you couldn’t buy liquor hardly at all, for sure not on Sundays. So, things have progressed tremendously.”
While Monday was just a soft opening to the public, Powers said the provisioning center will hold a grand opening on Thursday.
