Marijuana goes on general sale in Colorado

Colorado and Washington became the first US states to legalise the sale of marijuana for recreational purposes last year following a voter-approved constitutional amendment in the November 2012 election.

From 1 January, Colorado residents aged 21 or older will be able to buy up to one ounce of marijuana from a licensed retail store.

Non-residents can only buy a quarter of an ounce. The marijuana is for private use and cannot be smoked in public.

The first wave of retailers – many of them former medical marijuana dispensaries – cleared by state regulators to sell the drug to recreational users were hoping to cash in on a rush of new custom.

Cannabis will be legally produced, sold to the general public and taxed in a system modelled on the regime many states have in place for alcohol sales – but will be a first for marijuana.

Robin Hackett, co-owner of Botana Care in the Denver suburb of Northglenn, had her staff frantically rolling hundreds of joints in preparation for the first day of sales.

She said she expected to have 2,000 joints ready to sell to the 800 to 1,000 customers expected on the first day.

Ms Hackett said she has 50 lbs (23 kg) of product on hand, and the shop will limit purchases to quarter-ounces on Wednesday to avoid running out.

Like other stores, Botana Care will also drug paraphernalia including pipes, rolling papers, bongs, and locking child-proof pouches.

Colorado officials expect the cannabis market to gross $578m in annual revenues, including $67m in tax receipts for the state.

Opponents of legalisation have warned that legalising recreational use could help create an industry intent on attracting underage users and getting more people dependent on the drug.

Joint agreement

Supporters and detractors alike see the two Western states as embarking on an experiment that could mark the beginning of the end for marijuana prohibition at the national level.

Cannabis remains classified as an illegal narcotic under federal law, though the Obama administration has said it will give individual states leeway to carry out their own recreational-use statutes.

Colorado authorities posted signs at Denver International Airport and elsewhere around the capital warning that pot shops can only operate during approved hours, and that open, and that public consumption of marijuana remains illegal.

Police in Colorado say they will arrest anyone suspected of driving under the influence of marijuana and take them to a police station for a blood test. A driver who refuses the blood test will be subject to arrest.