The times are certainly changing in Washington State, where it recently became legal to buy and use recreational marijuana. Joining bake sales and other fundraisers as ways to give back to the community, a small town in Washington has opened the state’s first recreational marijuana store that’s run by the local government.

North Bonneville in southern Washington is home to about 1,000 people and now it’s also home to a brand new pot shop, reports Reuters. All the money it makes from a range of marijuana products will be going back to the local community, city officials say.

“It’s a really great solution for these small, rural communities that need to raise a little bit of revenue,” said the general manager of the new store. “I think it’s a really viable option for other towns and cities like this,” she said.

The State Liquor Control Board regulates all retail marijuana stores in Washington, levying heavy taxes and keeping a close eye on how businesses run their operations.

The town started working on the retail outlet in 2013, creating a public development authority to make sure all the correct permits were in place and to help raise private money to cover the cost of construction.

Visitors are drawn to the area for things like hiking, camping and windsurfing, and so the hope is that those tourists and more will travel to the town to grab some pot for their trip.

“We hope to get a lot of folks from all over the place coming into the store and stopping by to visit,” the store’s manager says.

Small Washington town becomes first to open government-run pot shop [Reuters]

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