Marijuana is a budding business and on first legal 4/20 many lined up outside Theory Wellness to get in on the buzz.

"It's super exciting, it's the first legal 4/20 on the East Coast," said Theory Wellness CEO Brandon Pollock. "It's a rainy day but we have hundreds of people lined up outside looking to celebrate the holiday."

The rain certainly did not slow down the celebrations.

"[I've been waiting] my lifetime I think," said Scotty Allen of Hudson.

Pollock says legal weed offers a clear pipeline to where the product is coming from and he is trying to create a social business of "craft cannibis."

"Our production team has been doing a great job with growing different strains of cannibis that are really awesome," Pollock said. "We have different products people are really excited for ... this shows you that people want that."

And consumers agree with Pollock.

"Because [dealers have] been lacing everything with fentanyl, all kinds of stuff, and it's killing people," said Lynn Sherman of Albany.

For those with medical issues and beyond, the celebration of 4/20 shows all types of communities use cannibis.

"It's different not having to hide it, nobody's going crazy, we're all calm. It's a good way to show people that this side of the world is not a bunch of bad people running around doing stupid things," said Michael Pastore of Clifton Park.

Beyond 4/20, Pollock says he wants to help those who have been affected by the war on drugs, and teach them the ins and outs of the marijuana business. He says no one in the Commonwealth affected by the prohibition on marijuana has opened a dispensary or a cultivation facility. 

"Either by living in a community that has had unfair persecution of drugs, or more personally having some sort of drug-related offense," Pollock said. "So they took the brunt of the pain and are getting none of the pleasure, if you will, out of the legalization and we don't think that's right."

Pollock is not alone in this movement. Ben & Jerry’s was one of many businesses getting in on the action of 4/20 Saturday. The company posted a short video stating most of the business owners of legal cannabis tend to be white.

The call-to-action in the video asked all marijuana related charges to be expunged from records, especially those of people of color, so everyone has an equal opportunity.

Pollock says drug-related convictions can cause a person's job prospects to go up in smoke, so he is prepared to offer $250,000 in seed money to someone in that situation, so they may open their own business. 

"$100,000 is just debt financing at zero interest, and that's designed to provide some capital to build out the facility itself and then when the company is about ready to open, we'll provide $150,000 in inventory," Pollock said.

The inventory will include flowers, vaporizers, edibles, and more, Pollock says. 

Theory Wellness' website now has a section for the Social Equity program. For now, Pollock says it just asks for your email and a few other questions. Then, they will reach out for a resume and business plan, narrow down the field for in-person interviews, and hopefully have a candidate selected by this summer.

Pollock says while he would love to help more than one person or team, this is a great start and he hopes it will inspire other small businesses to the same. He also says the state is looking to create a similar program.

All candidates for the equity sponsorship will need to be certifed by the Commonwealth as "Economic Empowerment" candidates. Pollock says Theory Wellness will also help the deserving person or team through the entire setup process, including the licensing. 

"It's a lot of paperwork, but we've got a couple now, so we'll help them through it," Pollock said.

Theory Wellness is open in Great Barrington Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.