California has been known for "women, weed and weather" for a while now, so it's kind of surprising that it's taken so long to legalize and commercialize recreational marijuana use. However, the patient stoners have finally secured the win, as California has officially made recreational weed available for the public to buy. That means, the sketchy beachfront drug deal days are over. The Los Angeles Times has reported that the state has already issued dozens of permits for retailers, with sales set to kick off throughout the week.
The market is already projected to gross seven billion dollars annually by 2020, which clearly signifies a demand. Many of the retailers are located in West Hollywood, and while the legalization officially went down on January 1st, the city requested that West Hollywood shops waited until today to open. However, shops in Santa Ana weren't affected, and were allowed to open on New Year's Day.
Apparently, the frenzy was in full effect. Shops in Santa Ana welcomed customers of all age groups (over twenty-one of course), who lined up to cop pre-rolled joints and edibles. One company called Urbn Leaf even goes the extra mile, with co-founder Will Senn boasting "we can deliver marijuana in 20 minutes; it’s like pizza." Apparently, Urbn Leaf had served over three hundred and fifty customers by noon, Monday. Suffice it to say, it's a big win for the marijuana fans out there, and a big step forward for progressive thinkers. Apparently, Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin and state Senator Nancy Skinner were even there for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Read more about it via the Times report here, and if you're in California, sound off on the change below.