Montville ― The Botanist in Montville looked a lot different Monday afternoon than it did almost three weeks ago.

The tent had come down, the lines were gone, and no police officers stood outside.

A customer entering the cannabis dispensary ― one of seven in Connecticut to begin recreational sales Jan. 10 ― is greeted by a staff member asking, “Medical or recreational?” or “Here for recreational?”

Customers need to show identification and can then place an order on one of four touch-screen machines in the lobby, or a staff member with an iPad can help. Another employee then scans a key card to provide each customer access to the dispensing room, where they pay for the product, and they can be in and out in under 10 minutes.

“It seems really seamless,” said marketing coordinator Sierra Lloyd.

She said The Botanist is seeing double the traffic from when it served only medical clientele, and on busier days it’s up 150%, but she’s seen a steady flow throughout the day rather than spikes and lulls.

Montville Police Lt. Dave Radford said police ended their presence outside the dispensary after only a week, sooner than anticipated, and this was after police cut staff there in half. He hasn’t seen any noticeable difference or police activity beyond the usual.

“It’s been nice and smooth,” he said.

Lloyd said the tent that served as the first stop for customers going into the dispensary was up for two weeks, and it helped staff educate customers about the purchasing process and what product names mean.

The kiosks show 58 products listed, ranging from pre-rolls for $18 and flower for around $50 for an eighth of an ounce, to 20-packs of gummies for $32 and to vape cartridges for $100 or more.

The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection currently limits purchases to seven grams per transaction. There are also only four growers that feed all dispensaries in the state, Lloyd noted, but that will increase.

She said there has been some concern among dispensaries and consumers about product shortages, and there may be days ― between replenishment ― when there is one option for gummies instead of two or three, for example.

“Everyone is trying to figure out what the new normal is,” Lloyd said.

One customer story she likes was a visit from an older man who was retired from Electric Boat and couldn’t consume cannabis due to his job. His son later came in, at the encouragement of his father.

Lloyd has worked at the dispensary since 2016, when it was still Thames Valley Relief. Acreage Holdings acquired the business in 2019 and in September 2021 re-branded it as The Botanist.

This is one of 16 Botanist locations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Ohio, and Lloyd said the business is hoping to expand its Danbury location for recreational sales by mid-February.

Connecticut logged $2.02 million in cannabis sales from Jan. 10 to 17, according to DCP. Updated data is next scheduled to come out Feb. 10.

Department spokesperson Kaitlyn Krasselt said Monday it sounds like everything is going well and as expected, and she’s not aware of any complaints filed with DCP. At The Botanist specifically, most of the newest online reviews are glowing, praising the staff for being friendly and knowledgeable.

But many don’t share a rosy view.

House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, said the message of “shining positivity” from the governor’s office “is at odds with the concerns of not just many residents, but also state mental health and addiction professionals.”

House Republicans last week unveiled a bill that would suspend retail cannabis sales until the drug recognition expert certification program is operational for police. It would also prohibit sales of edible products, limit THC per serving, prohibit cannabis consumption where alcohol consumption is prohibited, repeal certain restrictions on cannabis-related motor vehicle stops, and require teens under 18 applying for a driver’s license to take a course on the effects of cannabis.

“We have put forward these proposals to address increased drug dependency, the potential for dangerous consequences on our state and local roads, and the very real risks of harm to children,” said Rep. Holly Cheeseman, R-East Lyme. “We also need to place important safety restrictions on the availability of high-potency THC products.”