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[PHOTOS] Colorado Gets Historically High On The First Day Of Legal Weed Sales

The first recreational marijuana industry in the U.S. opened Wednesday in Colorado, kicking off an experiment that will be watched closely around the world.

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Marijuana users celebrated on January 1 as Colorado became the first US state to allow retail cannabis sales

The western state famous for its ski resorts and breathtaking mountain vistas has issued 348 retail licenses – including for small pot shops – that can sell up to 28 grams of pot to people aged 21 or older.

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Patrons smoke marijuana at a Prohibition-themed New Year's Eve party in Denver -- Associated Press

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Washington state on the Pacific Coast will follow Colorado several months from now, when it also allows stores to begin selling cannabis.

themalaysianinsider.com

People wait in line to be among the first to legally buy recreational marijuana at the Botana Care store in Northglenn, Colorado January 1, 2014. Reuters Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/worlds-first-state-licensed-marijuana-retailers-open-doors-in-colorado/1/334016.html

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Iraq war veteran Sean Azzariti was the first person to legally purchase cannabis for recreational use in the United States

"It's huge," he said at a marijuana store along a light industrial corridor outside downtown Denver. "It hasn't even sunk in how big this is yet."

cnn.com

Sean Azzariti, a veteran of the Iraq war, makes the first legal recreational marijuana purchase in Colorado fromBetty Aldworth at the 3-D Denver Discrete Dispensary on January 1. Photo: Getty Images/AFP

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Indeed, before the 3D Cannabis Center opened at 8 a.m. MT, more than 100 people were waiting in snowfall and cold under gray skies to be the next buyers of recreational pot under a landmark law voters approved in 2012.

smh.com.au

Azzariti was selected to be the first buyer at the 3D Cannabis Center because he was a Marine from 2000 to 2006 who now suffers post-traumatic stress disorder after two tours in Iraq. He can't obtain medical marijuana in Colorado because PTSD isn't a qualifying condition for that treatment, he said.

yahoo.com

Marijuana plants sit under grow lights at the 3D Cannabis Center in Denver.

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"This is what we worked so hard for the last few years," he said of the voter-approved constitutional amendment that led Colorado to become the first state in the nation to open recreational pot stores to anyone age 21 and older. "It's mind-blowing."

cnn.com

Azzariti, 32, bought an eighth of an ounce of pot, plus chocolate truffles laced with marijuana. Those treats are called "edibles" at the store.
The price: $59.50.

thestar.com

SEE: Hilarious photos from Colorado's first day of legal weed sales

photo: coloradoans and visitors alike celebrating retail marijuana legalization. freedom everybody. #cannibistco

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People in Colorado are legally scoring weed. But beware trying to take it across state lines.

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This guy is very excited that he can legally buy recreational weed in Colorado (Getty)

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This father and son from Georgia slept in their van to be here as #Colorado sells its first recreational pot

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Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said he was proud of the city

"Denver is a progressive city, a vibrant city, and it's incumbent on all of us to continue getting this right," Hancock added.

guardianlv.com

A long queue of customers waits to enter the 3D Cannabis Centre, to be greeted by the owner Toni Fox, second from right.

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"I want to thank the businesses and consumers alike for acting responsibly and with great accountability today," he said in a statement.

themalaysianinsider.com

While opponents of legalised cannabis warn that it can lead to higher rates of marijuana use and addiction, its upporters hailed its legalization as historic

The opponents also say that marijuana users face a raft of health and psychiatric problems, noting that pot is often a gateway drug that can lead to abuse of more serious substances.

voanews.com

People wait in line to be among the first to legally buy recreational marijuana at the Botana Care store in Northglenn, Colorado, Jan. 1, 2014.

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"The state is demonstrating to the rest of the nation and the entire world that regulating marijuana works," said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, one of the leading backers of the ballot initiative to legalise marijuana.

latinpost.com
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"It's only a matter of time before lawmakers and voters in more states adopt similar laws regulating marijuana like alcohol."

themalaysianinsider.com

GALLERY: Colorado's recreational marijuana stores make history

Customers wait in a long line for their turn to buy recreational marijuana outside the LoDo Wellness Center on Wednesday, January 1, in Denver. Colorado is the first state in the nation to allow retail pot shops.

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Donald Andrews, whose family owns and runs the LoDo Wellness Center, hands out tickets marking customers' place in the line.

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Andrews examines marijuana plants in the grow room of the LoDo Wellness Center. Pot is the third most popular recreational drug in America, after alcohol and tobacco, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

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Marijuana plants thrive in the grow room of the LoDo Wellness Center.

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Marijuana dries next to a harvest calendar in the grow room of the LoDo Wellness Center.

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Beej Jackson, left, and Amber Bacca serve customers in Evergreen Apothecary in Denver. In 2012, 55% of Colorado voters said yes to legalizing recreational marijuana.

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Different strains of marijuana are displayed in the Evergreen Apothecary.

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Leica Zayat and Mark Harris serve customers in Evergreen Apothecary.

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Customers wait to be served in the LoDo Wellness Center.

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People line up to buy recreational marijuana at the LoDo Wellness Center.

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