Legal marijuana goes on sale in Washington

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Legal marijuana goes on sale in Washington

By GENE JOHNSON

Associated Press
July 7, 2014 Updated 5 minutes ago

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Washington became the second state Tuesday to allow people to buy marijuana legally in the U.S. without a doctor's note as customers eager to be the first to buy pot lined up outside stores.

People began purchasing marijuana at 8 a.m. at Bellingham's Top Shelf Cannabis, one of two stores in the city north of Seattle that started selling pot as soon as it was allowed under state regulations. Several dozen people waited outside before the store opened.

The first three customers in line were residents of Kansas, in Bellingham for their grandfather's 84th birthday. Sarah Gorton, 24, of Abilene, Kansas, came with her younger brother Robbie, as well as her boyfriend.

"It's just a happy coincidence and an opportunity we're not going to have for a long time," said Sarah Gorton, a 24-year-old with dreadlocks and homemade jewelry. "I'm really thrilled to be a part of something that I never thought would happen."





Read more: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/07/07/3278721/washington-poised-to-start-legal.html?sp=/99/261/

[KansDem]

1. "The first three customers in line were residents of Kansas"

Fancy that!

[Ed Suspicious]

2. I can't believe how little fanfare this event is receiving. It is a testament to inevitability and

to the smooth roll out from the last time. There is no there there it seems. Cannabis legalization expectedly improved the conditions of Colorado's society in nearly every measurable way. The telling of the end of days never came to fruition. Hopefully this will take it's rightful page on page 3 of the business section soon. A nonstory story it has become.

[PatrickforO]

4. You know, there's something to what you're saying.

Here in Colorado, crime has gone noticeably down, and so has the state's jail population. Both good things.

[Uncle Joe]

3. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Judi Lynn.

[customerserviceguy]

5. Funny story

About thirty-two years ago, when I was sixteen, a friend and I were munching cheeseburgers at a place called Burger Chef in Vancouver, WA. I'm pretty sure we were stoned and were taking care of the munchies.

We looked at the little stamped aluminum ashtrays on the table, with cigarette butts in them, and he posited that "When George McGovern is President", he'll legalize pot, and we'll be finding roaches in the ashtrays instead. I agreed that was probably likely, because of eighteen year olds finally getting the vote, and they'd want to end the war. My, the things you think of when you're high, young, and an optimist.

Fast forward to today. Only twenty-five licenses were handed out for first day sales in the entire state of WA, and the very address where we had that discussion is one of them. It ceased being a burger joint some years ago, and was remodeled into a storefront that held an auto parts store and a defunct check cashing outfit.

Blew my mind when I found the address from the state, and put it into Google street view.

Told a few friends around the office, one said, "Hey, buy a lottery ticket!" So, this afternoon, I played both 502 (the number of the initiative that legalized pot) and 420 (for obvious reasons). What came up? 666!!!