Washington will become the second state to sell marijuana for recreational use on Tuesday, although shortages and high prices are likely, according to Reuters.
The nation, and the U.S. government, will be watching Washington's rollout as a broader trend of liberalization and pro-marijuana activism in the United States takes hold, Reuters reported.
Only 25 proprietors were issued licenses to sell the drug on Monday, and only a handful were slated to open with marijuana on the shelves 24 hours later, under a heavily regulated and taxed system voters approved in November 2012, according to Reuters. State regulators have accepted 334 license applications.
While Colorado has been raking in millions of dollars a month in tax since rolling out regulated retail sales in January, Washington has charted a glacial path to market, Reuters reported.
Local media showed images of two people sitting on folding chairs with books and provisions almost a day before a "high noon" ribbon-cutting ceremony at Cannabis City, the only licensed retailer in Seattle, a city of some 630,000 residents, according to Reuters.
To the north, in Bellingham, Top Shelf Cannabis owner Tom Beckley planned to offer his first 50 to 100 customers special promotional pricing of $10 per gram, with prices rising to $12-$25 per gram depending on quality and type, Reuters reported.
Depending on demand, Beckley said he might limit what he sells to each shopper to extend supplies, according to Reuters. Customers are legally allowed up to 1 ounce of marijuana before buying more, and can also buy up to 16 ounces of marijuana-infused product in solid form or up to 72 ounces of marijuana-infused product in liquid form.
Shortages may mean prices of $25-$30 a gram on Tuesday, roughly twice the price at the state's weakly regulated medical marijuana dispensaries, Reuters reported.
