NILES — More than 50 people of all ages gathered in line Thursday morning outside of The ReLeaf Center, 1840 Terminal Road, Niles, waiting to purchase the first adult-use marijuana products available in city limits.

At 10 a.m., The ReLeaf Center became the first Niles business to sell recreational marijuana products to adults 21 and older with a valid state I.D. On Oct. 29, 2019, it became the first business to sell medical marijuana products in the city.

It is also the 22nd adult-use marijuana business to open in the state, according to PotGuide, a business that keeps track of dispensaries across the nation, and state news reports. Niles is the 13th municipality to have such a business open.

The opening came after months of work by city employees and officials to approve marijuana business zoning and to approve The ReLeaf Center itself.

On Wednesday evening, the planning commission unanimously granted the business a special land use permit to grow, process and sell adult-use marijuana. Sanya Vitale, zoning administrator and community development director, requested that The ReLeaf Center be approved without condition because it had complied with all of the city’s criteria.

That included extensive hazardous materials compliance and odor control. Vitale said she smelled nothing inside or outside the business during a walkthrough, despite plants flowering.

The ReLeaf Center CEO Michael E. Gelatka picked up the permit license Thursday morning and opened shop shortly after. He spent opening morning directing people’s vehicles into parking spaces and working behind the scenes.

“It’s a big day,” he said.

Sean McNelis, of Niles, said waiting in line for his first-ever purchase from a provisioning center was almost as fun as waiting in line at a rock concert.

“It’s an exciting time, a little bit of history,” he said. “It’s good for the city, so let’s hope it takes off. Positive vibes.”

McNelis was one of the first dozen people in line. He secured his spot by arriving 40 minutes before opening. He wore a Notre Dame jacket and a Weedmaps hat to stay warm.

His brother-in-law works for Weedmaps, which connects marijuana customers to dispensaries, deliveries, deals, doctors and brands. Having his brother-in-law’s behind-the-scenes insights of the marijuana industry made McNelis even more excited for The ReLeaf Center to open.

He said purchasing marijuana does more than just serve the individual customer. It helps out Michigan residents as a whole by providing tax dollars to statewide projects.

“We should be driving on gold pretty soon,” he joked.

Other medical marijuana business ventures under construction in Niles will soon add to the city’s and state’s tax bases. They are expected to apply for state and local adult-use licenses, too.

The ReLeaf Center is starting out with limited operations while its plants for medical and recreational use grow. It is currently selling products sourced from other companies.

Randy Barr, director of compliance, said the provisioning portion of the facility is split in half. One side services adult-use customers. The other half services medical patients.

The provisioning center is closed off from the lobby to ensure privacy of medical patients.

On Thursday, customers were let inside in groups of two. They had to fill out paperwork and have their ID approved before going into the provisioning center section of the business.

Minutes later, they left with small white paper bags stapled shut, containing the product of their preference. Inside them were either packaged flowers, concentrates, edibles, topicals or a mix.

Due to anticipated high turnout, staff said sales were limited to a 2-gram serving of products, as opposed to the business’s future 2.5-gram limit.

Edibles can not contain more than 10 milligrams of THC per serving or 100 milligrams per package — THC is the chemical compound that gives users a high. Capsules and tinctures cannot be more than 200 milligrams of THC. Flowers and concentrates have no cap.

The ReLeaf Center will be routinely checked by city and state employees to ensure adherence to regulatory laws.