PHILLIPSBURG, N.J. — Reefer, pot, Mary Jane, weed—whatever you call it, you can now purchase marijuana and light it up in the state of New Jersey if you're 21 or older. That means millions of Pennsylvanians now have access to legally consume marijuana.
"I'm looking to get some f***ing weed. That's what I'm looking to get," said a man from Albrightsville.
At the Apothecarium Dispensary in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, just across the river from Easton, long lines wrapped around the parking lot. Plenty of people from both states were looking to snag some.
"It's a good recreational alternative to, I guess, what everyone is accustomed to, which is alcohol. But you now also have to have that self-control," said Christian Cruz of Bethlehem.
"I'm excited to, you know, get an opportunity to at least have it legalized somewhere close," the man from Albrightsville said.
"I've smoked weed before. I think everyone here has, and it is not, you know, going to ruin your life. It's not going to cause you to do anything that you wouldn't normally do, you know? If you can drink a beer, you can smoke a joint," said Anthony Perez of Bethlehem.
You can get everything from pre-rolled joints to bud itself, even vapor cartridges, and you can do it in New Jersey. But remember, you can't bring it across the river to Pennsylvania.
"We understand what's happening in New Jersey, but that doesn't mean it transfers over to Pennsylvania at the time," said Trooper Anthony Petroski.
Trooper Petroski with the Pennsylvania State police says not to be blunt, but you could get in big trouble for carrying marijuana across state lines, as it's not yet legal in the state.
"It's important for people to understand that marijuana is a Schedule 1 controlled substance in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," Trooper Petroski said. "As Pennsylvania's law currently stands, a person can be charged by any law enforcement agency in Pennsylvania for illegal possession of marijuana."
Trooper Petroski says any Pennsylvania resident who risks returning home with it could get a charge of possession, DUI, or something worse.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel.