More than 200 people lined up outside Trinity Compassionate Care Center in Peoria to buy legal recreational marijuana on New Year's Day.
Brendan Davis of Peoria was first in line at 4 a.m. Doors opened at 10. He said he felt "amazing" about being one of the first people in Peoria to buy cannabis products legally.
Like many Illinois dispensaries, Trinity didn't have smokable cannabis flower on day 1. Davis said he wanted to buy concentrate and wax.
Jenni Boyer was among the first people in line. She said she and her line buddies wanted to make Illinois history. She was there to buy some cannabis edibles and vapes.
"I'm just excited. This is long overdue. And I think this is going to help a lot of people medically, and just kind of chill. That's what I think," she said.
Customers left with their purchases in nondescript paper baggies. The first recreational customer to exit the store held up his purchase in the air over his head, let out a brief cheer, then told patrons waiting near the front of the line he wished he'd taken an Uber instead of driving because he was fearful of police following him.
A Peoria police patrol vehicle was parked near the parking lot's entrance, though a law enforcement presence isn't uncommon during large public gatherings. Outside, private security guards hired by Trinity chatted and joked with customers.
With only 20 people allowed in the store at a time, people near the back of the line wrapped around the back of the strip mall Trinity calls home were set to wait for hours yet.
Many said they headed to Trinity after seeing the long lines at NuMed East Peoria, which opened before dawn.
Adult-use cannabis became legal for people age 21 and over in 2020. Illinois is the second midwestern state to legalize recreational cannabis after Michigan.
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