The Cannabis Control Commission is bracing for a “Green Rush” of applicants today vying to be among the first to open marijuana retail stores as Massachusetts becomes the new frontier for recreational pot on the East Coast.

“I do anticipate a significant number of applications. There will be a great deal of interest in opening facilities in Massachusetts,” said Jim Borghesani, a pro-pot advocate and spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project. “For one thing, the states in New England are small. There will be customers coming from other states because in Massachusetts it’s tough to be 20 to 30 miles from a state line. You will see Massachusetts leading in all of the New England states in going toward a safer system of legal sales.”

The commission today begins accepting applications for the first time for prospective pot shops. The applications accepted today are limited to registered marijuana dispensaries and those eligible to apply through the commission’s economic empowerment program for people and businesses disproportionately impacted negatively by the prohibition of marijuana.

Anyone who wins approval can move to the next step April 16, ahead of others wishing to sell or grow pot for the state’s planned July 1 launching of legal weed sales. [Read more at Boston Herald]