Colorado just marked six months since the launch of legal recreational marijuana sales. Washington, for its part, is set to follow suit on July 8. But the state may experience some growing pains. Of the 335 retail dispensaries awaiting approval in Washington, only about twenty are expected to obtain licenses by the state on July 7– leaving the new shops just one day to stock and prepare for the weed-hungry stampede anticipated the next day.
This small glimmer of sunlight for stoners comes after a long course of delays in the enactment of State Initiative 502 — the bill legalizing retail marijuana in Washington. However, many industry and regulation authorities expect high bud prices and shortages during the beginning of retail sales, similar to what Colorado went through earlier this year.