Recreational marijuana became legal in Colorado Wednesday, and Centennial staters lined up by the hundreds to be among the first to buy some premium bud.
Dispensaries open on New Year's Day reported overwhelming demand as people lined up in the snow hours before doors opened.
Witnesses described the scenes as "cool and mellow and nice," and people cheered when people walked out after successfully making their purchases.
One woman at a Denver shop said she and another man wanted to show up on the first day just to celebrate the legal victory.
“We voted for it, and now it’s here,” said the woman, Dee, who declined to give her last name. “We just went in and celebrated the new law. It’s a new day.”
Some stores limited the amount of weed an individual could purchase to an eighth of an ounce, even though state law allows a resident to buy up to an ounce.
Don Andrews, who owns LoDo's Dispensary in Denver, said he planned to start turning people away as early as 4 p.m., even though the store was open until 7. He said he had already serviced 400 customers by 2 p.m., and the line was still out the door, down the street and around the corner. The owners of Evergreen Apothecary said they faced the same problem.
