Colorado's Marijuana Shops Made More Than $1 Million On First Day Of Legalization

On Jan. 1, 2014, the first day recreational marijuana was legal in Colorado, retailers said they collectively made more than $1 million in sales.

The first day of recreational marijuana sales in the state of Colorado was a huge monetary success, shops said, bringing in more than $1 million in recreational and medical pot sales. Many await what will happen on day two and beyond after Colorado became the first U.S. state to sell legal recreational weed. Washington has also legalized the drug, but sales will not begin until later this year. In 18 other states, medical marijuana is legal.

Worldwide, Colorado is on the forefront of the legalization movement. In the Netherlands, marijuana is technically illegal, but has been widely smoked in Amsterdam and other parts of the country since 1976 when it was informally decriminalized. In December last year, Uruguay became the first country to legalize the cannabis industry, but it has yet to implement the law.

Tourists and locals waited in long lines and endured cold weather in order to buy legal weed on what some called Green Wednesday.

"Yeah this is really happening, over 70 people in line just right now."

"8am line out the door at the #weedstore"

Some people waited more than three hours to enter one of two dozen pot shops and buy weed on the first day of legalization.

"One of the first ppl to purchase legal marijuana in the US"

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