Photos: Colorado Starts Selling Legal Marijuana
On January 1, Colorado became the first place in the world to allow the state-sanctioned sale of marijuana.
Here are some photos from day one of the legalization experiment:
Credit: Seth McConnell/Denver Post via Getty Images
Colorado began its bold approach to marijuana policy at the start of the year, with some stores opening by 8 a.m. local time.
Credit: Joe Amon/Denver Post via Getty Images
In a carefully orchestrated press event, Sean Azzariti, a former Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq, became the first person to purchase recreational marijuana legally in the U.S. He bought 3.5 grams of weed and a marijuana-infused chocolate truffle, all totaling about $60.
Credit: Joe Amon/Denver Post via Getty Images
There were 37 stores open for business on Wednesday, and the state has approved 136 retail licenses in total. Three out of four stores will be in Denver County.
Credit: Brennan Linsley/AP Photo
The legal sale of marijuana in Colorado has opponents in nearby states worried about a potential increase in the drug’s prevalence.
“DO NOT BRING YOUR COLORADO PURCHASED MARIJUANA INTO WYOMING,” the Wyoming Highway Patrol tweeted on Thursday.
Authorities in Oklahoma said they expected more pot to head into the state as a result of the new law.
Credit: Seth McConnell/Denver Post via Getty Images
The inaugural day of business brought tourists from across the country and globe.
Kirstin Knouse, who flew to Denver from Chicago with her husband Tristan, told The New York Times that she wanted marijuana to treat her seizures and fibromyalgia, and that her husband wanted it because of post-traumatic stress.
“This is our dream,” she told the Times. “We’re thinking about moving here because of it.”
Credit: Brennan Linsley/AP Photo
Even before stores began sales, Colorado residents were celebrating the end of marijuana prohibition.
A 1920s-themed party at a bar in downtown Denver on New Year’s Eve mixed booze with pot, which has been legal for recreational use since December 2012. On the following day, for the first time, the drug would be sold legally in stores.
Credit: Brennan Linsley/AP Photo
“Honestly, I thought I’d never see the day,” one Denver resident told the Associated Press.
Credit: Brennan Linsley/AP Photo
Ted Hesson was formerly the immigration editor at Fusion, covering the issue from Washington, D.C. He also writes about drug laws and (occasionally) baseball. On the side: guitars, urban biking, and fiction.