The Most Colorful Quotes From Washington State's First Day of Marijuana Sales
A display shows a description and price of a particular strain of marijuana at Bellingham's Top Shelf Cannabis. Ted S. Warren/AP
A confused politician, a grandmother, and a marijuana aficionado walk into a weed store.
Could there be a more perfect lead character for a story about the first day of legal marijuana sales in Washington state than a 65-year-old retiree?
The very first person to purchase pot in the Seattle area was Deb Greene, a retired grandmother who arrived at 3 p.m. the day before to snag her place in line—and history. Greene walked out of the shop called Cannabis City with a smile on her face and a brown paper bag that read, "Thank you Deb! Enjoy your OG Cush!"
She also has proven to be a popular interview subject: Google News yields 5,200 results in a search for her name (many of those coming from the proliferation of wire reports).
But Greene wasn't the only colorful character who showed up for the first day of legal pot sales in the state. Below, we collect the best details from news reports in papers across the country.
Game of Thrones Just Got BetterGreene explained to The Seattle Times what she intended to do with her new purchase.
Greene, 65, a retiree, said she doesn't smoke pot often. But now she could enjoy it legally at her Ballard home, maybe with "Game of Thrones" on TV. "It's incredibly liberating," she said. "It's the dream of every retiree, sleep in and smoke a bowl."
Seattle City Attorney Confused by Strain Selection
Pete Holmes, Seattle's elected city attorney and a main backer of the state's recreational marijuana law, said he wanted to be one of the first customers to demonstrate there are alternatives to the nation's failed drug war. ...
Dressed in a pinstripe suit, Holmes stood inside Seattle's first and, for now, only licensed pot shop, Cannabis City, south of downtown. ...
Unsure what to buy, he asked the owner of the company that grew it, Nine Point Growth Industries of Bremerton, who recommended OG's Pearl. ...
Holmes noted it had been quite some time since he smoked pot. He paraphrased a line from the South Park cartoon series: "Remember, children, there's a time and place for everything. That place is college."
Holmes elaborated to the The Seattle Times that it's been a while since he has partaken.
A Collector's ItemHolmes said he planned to keep half for historical reasons and enjoy the other half when "appropriate," meaning in the privacy of his home when he isn't working in any legal capacity. "It's been a long time," he said, "since college."
The New York Times was also stationed at Cannabis City near Seattle. The paper asked the shoppers waiting in line what they might do with their legal dope. One came up with a solution more creative than simply smoking it:
Son, Go Make History"Maybe I'll have it bronzed, make a trophy out of it," C.J. Graham, 22, a recent graduate in biopsychology at Tufts University who was visiting family, said of his packet of pot.
The New York Times also spoke with Caden Robinson, a college student, and asked him why he showed up. He said his dad put him up to it.
Weed and Weenies"My dad said I should come," said Mr. Robinson, a chemistry and chemical engineering major at the University of Puget Sound. " 'Go make history,' " he said, quoting his father.
Oregon Public Broadcasting was present for the grand opening of Main Street Marijuana in Vancouver. The event was celebrated with hot dogs.
Enter the Pot Snobs. "I've grown better weed than that."Following the grand opening, visitors to the store are invited to attend the inaugural Weed and Weenies event, hosted by Viridian Sciences, a business management company that specializes in marijuana retail. Attendants can enjoy their hotdogs on the street, but smoking marijuana in public is still illegal.
The Seattle Times went home with Damien Tillman after he purchased his stash. Tillman was not impressed:
Man Fired After Buying PotA medical-marijuana grower himself, Tillman gave a neutral report. "I've grown better weed than that, I've grown worse weed than that," he said.
"It definitely hits you pretty good," he said after a couple bong hits, but noted some rot on some Copper Cush flowers. "You'd expect a little bit better bag appeal," he said.
"That does smell good, though."
Mike Boyer was the first man in Spokane to purchase legal weed. Then, his employer found out. From The New York Daily News:
"We don't line up for Black Friday, we line up for 'Green Tuesday,' " the 30-year-old told The News. "People camp out for Star Wars and donuts ... this is more important than that."
...
He walked out with four grams of Sour Kush and high-fived people waiting in line as he held his bag of weed aloft, yelling "first customer!" as he walked to his car and immediately went home to get high.
Boyer's phone buzzed as he took his first few hits: His employer wanted him to come in and take a urine analysis test within 24 hours.
The test came back positive.