US: Recreational marijuana goes on sale in California following legalisation
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Retailers in California began selling marijuana this week after the US state became the latest to legalise the drug for recreational use.
Under the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) or Proposition 64, which Californians voted for in 2016, adults aged 21 and over may grow up to six plants and possess an ounce of the drug.
Long lines formed outside licensed shops, with owners saying they had stocked up in expectation of a surge in demand.
Matt Lucero, owner of Buddy’s, which holds the first licence in the state to sell recreational marijuana, told CNN: “It is probably our busiest day in our seven-year history.
“We have folks outside; every chair in the building is filled right now.”
California has become the sixth state to allow the sale of recreational marijuana, though it remains illegal in the eyes of the federal government.
The California industry is expected to reach $7 billion in the coming years, more than the entire current legal cannabis market in the US, which amounts to $6.6bn.
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