Happy birthday, legal weed!
April 21 represents one year since the first recreational marijuana sales occurred in New Jersey, after nearly a decade of activism in the Garden State. Across New Jersey, customers flocked to 12 dispensaries and waited on line — sometimes for hours — to be among the first people to legally purchase cannabis for personal use.
"I've waited 50 f---ing years for this!," one customer yelled before walking into a dispensary to make his first purchase last year.
Experts predict that the New Jersey cannabis industry might top $3 billion within a few years. It's not a surprising estimation, with nearly $555 million sold last year, including nearly $329 million in recreational sales. All the while, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission has been issuing licenses.