First Day of Colo. Pot Sales Stays Mellow

World watches as recreational sales begin
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 2, 2014 1:20 AM CST
First Day of Colo. Pot Sales Stays Mellow
Employees David Marlow, right, and Chris Broussard work behind sales counter inside Denver's Medicine Man marijuana store.   (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

America's first legal recreational marijuana went on sale in Colorado yesterday and "Green Wednesday" was, perhaps unsurprisingly, a pretty mellow affair. At least 24 pot stores in eight towns opened for business and police say there were no incidents, apart from one person being issued a summons for public consumption, the AP reports. There were no problems at Denver International Airport, where signs warn travelers about taking marijuana out of the state.

The smooth launch of recreational pot was watched with interest by pro-marijuana activists from around the country and around the world. "I've been waiting 34 years for this moment," a woman who had been waiting outside a marijuana store since 2am tells the Denver Post. "I've been smoking since I was 14. No more sneaking around." One potential problem: State and local taxes brought the price of high-quality legal weed up to around $400 an ounce in some places, about four times the cost on the black market. (More marijuana legalization stories.)

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