The recreational marijuana era is officially underway in Massachusetts.

Officials at the Cannabis Control Commission on Thursday afternoon granted the state’s first-ever recreational marijuana license to a cultivation facility in Milford operated by Sira Naturals.

The unanimous decision by the agency’s five commissioners is a major milestone in the long process of implementing the state’s commercial marijuana market, which voters approved in a November 2016 ballot referendum.

And, with a target date of July 1 for the opening of commercial sales, the commission hopes to vote on several license applications each week, setting up a steady if deliberate rollout of recreational pot businesses.

“This is obviously a significant day in the commission’s journey thus far,” chairman Steve Hoffman said. But, he added, “I also want to stress that it’s a beginning, not the end. . . This is going to become a regular process.”

The license issued to Sira Naturals on Thursday is provisional; to win a final permit and begin operations, the company’s Milford facility must pass inspections and its principals must complete a background check that includes submitting their fingerprints. [Read More @ Boston Globe]