With the smell of marijuana wafting through the air around them, roughly 1,000 fans lined up on the corner of Exchange and Middle streets Sunday to meet stoner comedy legends Cheech and Chong.

Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, known for their 1970s comedy records and movies, stopped in Portland Sunday for the grand opening of their cannabis dispensary, Cheech & Chong’s Dispensoria, the chain’s sixth location and first in Maine.

Customers had to RSVP for a ticket and spend at least $100 at Cheech & Chong’s Dispensoria in Portland or at East Coast Gold Dispensary in Bangor prior to Sunday’s meet-and-greet. The first 250 people in line at 2 p.m. got a chance to meet the icons and get a limited-edition signed poster of the duo lounging in front of Portland Head Light.

Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin cut the ribbon Sunday during the opening of their new weed shop, Cheech & Chong’s Dispensoria, on Exchange Street. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Some fans lined up as early as 6 a.m., lighting joints and swapping Cheech and Chong memories to pass the time. Recreational use of marijuana was legalized in Maine in 2016.

“I am sixth or seventh in line, waiting to get in and get an autographed poster and a picture with the legends,” said Don Liberty, of Arundel, who lined up at 8 a.m. “It’s a milestone.”

The 250 lucky fans entered the brightly decorated marijuana store and posed for pictures with Cheech and Chong, taking a minute afterward to browse the Cheech & Chong-themed weed products and paraphernalia behind glass cases.

Katie Sims and Corinna Whitehill, best friends from Rockland, were some of the first people in line to meet the duo, leaving home at 5 a.m. and camping out in the cold all morning.

The pair said they’ve loved Cheech and Chong since the ’80s, and have fond memories of watching their films as teenagers – Sims even teared up a little bit when she met them.

“It’s nostalgic, I love nostalgic stuff,” Sims said.

Siblings Jake MacGilvray, of Scarborough, and Kris MacVarish, of Lowell, Massachusetts, learned about the event Thursday – MacVarish was on the train to Portland “immediately.”

“Last-minute plans turned out to be the best plan,” MacVarish said.

The night before the meet-and-greet, the siblings secured their spot by buying Cheech & Chong-branded t-shirts and bongs at the dispensoria. When they got in line around 11:30 Sunday morning, they spread out blankets and played the 1978 Cheech and Chong movie “Up in Smoke” with a tablet and a speaker for everyone to watch.

For many of the fans in the crowd, Cheech and Chong – and the marijuana consumption they are known for – is a family affair.

Stonia Taylor, of Auburn, attended the opening of Cheech & Chong’s Dispensoria on Exchange Street on Sunday. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

“My parents actually both smoked, and they hid it and everything,” said Stonia Taylor – a name she adopted to honor her love of weed.

After a meet-and-greet with Cheech and Chong that she called “perfect,” Taylor, who is from Auburn, reflected on her early memories of “Up in Smoke.”

“I remember walking in on my parents watching a movie, and I remember seeing the truck made of trees, and I thought they were burning trees to (make the car) go, and I thought it was awesome,” Taylor said, referencing the truck constructed of marijuana that the duo drives across the Mexican-U.S. border in the movie.

“But then I grew up and later learned it was not trees they were burning,” she said.

MacVarish, 21, and MacGilvray, 22, both had Cheech and Chong memories of their own.

“I grew up with my grandfather, and he was a huge fan of Cheech and Chong,” MacVarish said. “He bought their first album when he came back from Vietnam after he was drafted, and it was one of the things that really kept him sane.”

When MacGilvray’s father first caught him smoking marijuana, instead of scolding him, he showed him “Up in Smoke.” It was love at first sight.

“My dad’s not with us anymore, but I know he would have loved to come and meet them,” MacGilvray said.

Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis Company has plans to expand further into Maine, with stores in Milo and Bangor coming soon. The duo started the company in 2020.