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In the seven years since recreational cannabis waslegalized in Massachusetts, opportunities for adults to spark up socially have definitely grown more creative.

Maybe its a cannabis-enhanced yoga night. Or a pop-up supper club with an edible menu. Throughout the state, entrepreneurs and chefs have sought out to change the way adults in Massachusetts can consume cannabis. And in the process, theyve helped form enthusiastic communities focused on wellness, social support and culinary experimentation.

Its not something I necessarily saw coming when I started, said Sam Kanter, the owner of Dinner at Marys, a cannabis event and catering company. We have so many repeat clients and when people bring [their] friends, you really feel a community aspect.

Kanters companyprovides a weed-infused catering menu for private events and high-end meal boxes. But friendships really form at canna-yoga, which Dinner at Marys hosts twice a month. At this teacher-led yoga session, adult attendees pay $40 for class admission, which includes an optional gift of an edible or smokeable product to enjoy while exercising. (Businesses like Kanters operate in a bit of a legal gray area; whilecannabis cafes and other social consumption businesseshave still not been legalized in Massachusetts,state lawallows individuals to gift each other up to one ounce of marijuana.)

Its fun, and the combination of cannabis and yoga work really well together, said Kanter. Certainly, people interact with each other at [our] private events. But when it comes to community-building, canna-yoga does that best. Its open, its nonjudgmental, and its a beautiful community.

Making a space to congregate, connect and indulge was also the inspiration behindThe Summit Loungein Worcester. The Summit, which operates as aprivate club, adheres to a BYOC policy, since Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes remain in the works. (Its status as a private club also exempts the Summit fromstate laws against indoor smokingand marijuana use in most public places.)

To get access to the lounge, adults can pay a monthly fee of $30, annual fee of $300 or a cover charge of $10 each visit. There is also a cafe with a menuperfect for those who have a sweet tooth(or the munchies.) As of March, the club has around 10,000 members.

On a regular night, youll find 15 to 25 people, hanging out, smoking, chilling, connecting. If we have a club event going on, youll see about 60 people there, said Kyle Moon, the clerk at The Summit Lounge.

Moon doesnt use cannabis, but prides himself in being able to provide a space where people can come together. Id rather be focused on the social connection rather than the cannabis, said Moon.We have board game nights, Mario Kart competitions and potlucks.

Sacrilicious, a pop-up supper club from chef David Yusefzdeh, uses fine food to facilitate those social connections.

People come for the food. No matter where youre from, food is a big connector, said Yusefzdeh, who started experimenting with infused cooking while working as a chef in Chicago. Of course, it also helps that some of the ingredients used to cook the food loosen up guests for conversation. After two or three courses, even shy clientele open up a little bit, said Yusefzdeh.

Adults who buy tickets to one ofSacrilicious cannabis-friendly dinner partiesin Boston will pay $50 to enjoy a chef-inspired prix fixe menu with low doses of THC in each dish. Like Dinner at Marys, guests pay for dinner admission, and cannabis is technically gifted, not sold.

The chefs also hostresort getaways in Vermont, which are a bit more elevated compared to the dinner parties. Well invite eight guests, and cook [an infused] meal for each mealtime during the weekend its a true bed-and-breakfast kind of vibe, said Yusefzdeh. Guests at Sacrilicious events are welcome to opt for a cannabis-free dinner, so long as theyre excited to bond over food.

All three entrepreneurs look forward to a time when Massachusetts businesses focused on social cannabis consumption will be able to plant permanent roots. But ultimately, thats not their main goal.

I try to equate it to a bar, said Moon. You dont go to a bar necessarily to drink, but to connect with other individuals. You can buy a six pack and drink it by yourself. Thats drinking. I want people coming here because theyre interested in connecting with like-minded individuals. You can consume cannabis, but thats not the main purpose.

P.S. If youre wondering about the holdup with social consumption sites and when theyll actually arrive in Massachusetts, youll want tolisten toRadio Bostons recent conversation with Cannabis Control Commissioner Bruce Stebbins. According to Stebbins, well be hearing a lot more about social consumption over the course of this year.

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From yoga to fine dining, these Mass. cannabis businesses are lighting up marijuana-centered spaces - WBUR News