The future of legal weed in Washington might be predicted by looking at Colorado

Legal pot shops will not be open in Washington for some time, but while legislators work out the details eyes have been on Colorado where shops opened on Jan 1. Stores all over Colorado faced steep sales and crippling shortages as thousands flock to buy some of the first legal recreational marijuana in the world for almost a hundred years.

If a Coloradan wants to buy cannabis, they may have to wait as long as five hours in line. Shops in Denver report almost 400 customers a day, each restricted to buying no more than a quarter of an ounce, or about eight grams, and shops have had to hire new employees to keep up with demand, as well as doubling prices in some cases. The state, however, is holding off on giving out new permits for the time being in keeping with their plan of slow, regulated growth.

Although the number of licenses granted is calculated off of population, many of the customers in Colorado are from out of state, and likely the same thing will happen to stores in Washington.

Coloradans will have to wait and see how long it takes for lines to quiet down, but Washingtonians looking to buy their cannabis on day one should be ready for some crowded stores and depleted inventory.