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.
latinpost.com
Patrons smoke marijuana at a Prohibition-themed New Year's Eve party in Denver -- Associated Press
Image via yimg.comWashington 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
Image via intoday.inIraq 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
Image via smh.com.auIndeed, 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.
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
"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.comAzzariti, 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.
SEE: Hilarious photos from Colorado's first day of legal weed sales
photo: coloradoans and visitors alike celebrating retail marijuana legalization. freedom everybody. #cannibistco
Image via twimg.com
People in Colorado are legally scoring weed. But beware trying to take it across state lines.
Image via twimg.com
This guy is very excited that he can legally buy recreational weed in Colorado (Getty)
Image via twimg.com
This father and son from Georgia slept in their van to be here as #Colorado sells its first recreational pot
Image via twimg.comDenver 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.
Image via smh.com.au"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.
Image via voanews.com"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
"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.
Image via turner.com
Donald Andrews, whose family owns and runs the LoDo Wellness Center, hands out tickets marking customers' place in the line.
Image via turner.com
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.
Image via turner.com
Marijuana dries next to a harvest calendar in the grow room of the LoDo Wellness Center.
Image via turner.com
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.
Image via turner.com
