COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — Many are waiting hours just to get their hands on legalized marijuana.
At HCI Alternatives in Collinsville, the line on day one was about half a mile long as some waited for five hours. By Saturday, the wait time was about two hours.
On the first day of legalization in the Land of Lincoln, dispensaries brought in $3.2 million in revenue.
So as people pack into the place, HCI Alternatives adjusts.
The regional director for the dispensary, Kathleen Olivastro said, "Each day, we figure out how to get it faster, how to keep the lines moving. Our goal is to get through them as quickly as possible."
The dispensary has more than 300 products, but to get lines moving faster, they've narrowed it down to 25 items for the time being.
"It helps the consumer make a quicker choice and allows us to get as many through the business," she said. "I know some folks are like 'I want to shop everything' and I want to let them, but they understand, this is a way to get so many people through."
Everyone outside gets their hands on menus and 'budtenders' break down the menu on how to use the products. They also help shoppers with the medical program.
The menu below is a list of several products divided into categories such as vape, disposable vape, shake, flowers, pre-rolls or edibles. This menu can vary, even from hour to hour.
"Once they get into the building, we'll take those orders," Olivastro said. "When they get up to the register, the order is already pulled and laid out. Kind of like a deli-style."
From there, you pay and go on your way.
Once things settle down, you'll be able to look over the hundreds of options. Olivastro says they are also working on an online menu. You'd be able to order online and pick it up.
But for now, they expect lines to be long for quite some time on the weekends. They'll even have a DJ to entertain guests.
They say your best bet is to come during the week in the afternoon hours to avoid those long lines.
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