Inside Ayr Wellness, Back Bay's first dispensary

Ayr Wellness, Back Bay's first cannabis dispensary, opened this week across the street from the Prudential Center.

Why it matters: Ayr is just the fourth dispensary in Boston, and it's breaking into a neighborhood known for high-end shopping.

• "That gets rid of the stigma," says Dwan Packnett, vice president of government relations and community investment for Ayr.

Details: The 4,500-square-foot dispensary has chrome-colored beams and ceilings, which employees liken to the interior of a spaceship.

• Ayr sells vapes, edibles, flower and other cannabis products on one of the city's busiest streets.

The intrigue: Ayr is working with Mass CultivateED, a fellowship job training program launched in 2019 in response to the disproportionate impact the War on Drugs has had on Black and brown residents, designed to introduce more people to the cannabis sector.

• The program teaches people about how cannabis is made and how it's treated under the law before placing them in budtender jobs and other roles at local dispensaries.

Axios Boston stopped by and got a closer look inside before the crowds came.