John Langeler, Cogan Schneier and John Bacon

USA TODAY

SEATTLE — Pot shops opened to long lines Tuesday as Washington became the second state to legalize recreational marijuana.

After a busy day of sales, people were still in line just before 10 p.m. PT, minutes before Cannabis City in Seattle was set to close. As of 9:30, 857 customers had been served.

Earlier in the day, dozens of people were waiting their turn when Top Shelf Cannabis in Bellingham opened for business at 8 a.m. PT — as soon as allowed under state regulations.

The first three customers were Kansans. Sarah Gorton, 24, of Abilene, her brother and boyfriend were visiting Bellingham for their grandfather's 84th birthday.

"It's just a happy coincidence and an opportunity we're not going to have for a long time," said Sarah Gorton. "I'm really thrilled to be a part of something that I never thought would happen."

Cale Holdsworth, 29, also of Abilene, was the first person in the door at Top Shelf Cannabis. He arrived at 4 a.m.

"This is great. You know, it's really great," said Holdsworth. "It's something that I believe in. It's a cause that I would actually stand up for and participate in, and I'm glad to do so."

The state is joining a fast-growing market that's already generating tens of millions of dollars in taxes with no signs of slowing down. Twenty months after state voters approved recreational marijuana, Washington's Liquor Control Board released the names of 25 retail pot shops Monday. Most expect to open this week, although some are not sure whether there is supply to handle the immediate demand.

Cannabis City owner James Lathrop wasn't in a hurry, opening his shop at noon.

"Know your audience: We're talking stoners here," he said. "I'd be mean to say they need to get up at 5 a.m. to get in line."

Raquel Diaz went to Cannabis City during her lunch break.

"I expected it to be a lot crazier," said Diaz. "I had a friend waiting in line for a bit, and jumped in there."

Within an hour she made it inside the store and came out with her purchase. She picked a brand called "OG Pearl."

"People were telling me it's a little overpriced, but it's more of a novelty, and I thought it'd be cool," she said.

In Spokane, Spokane Green Leaf was schedule to open at 2 p.m. PT. Green Leaf employees said that, due to a tight supply, they would only allow customers to buy two to four grams on Tuesday. The cost: $20 to $25 per gram.

"I'm expecting a line out the door. A couple hundred people, at least," said Chad Welsh with Spokane Green Leaf.

First come, first served could be an important principle as pot flies off the shelves. Chad Champagne owns 420 Carpenter, a Lacey shop scheduled to open Friday.

"It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to be closed come Sunday night for a couple weeks until we can replenish," said Champagne, who won two retail marijuana licenses. He called the process "long and ever-changing," but said he expected it to be hard.

"It seemed like as soon as you cleared one hurdle, there were three more you had after that," he said.

A team of 18 is processing the volumes of marijuana selling and growing applications, Liquor Control Board Director Rick Garza said. Between 10 and 15 more applications could be approved every week, he said, adding that any delays came from the applicants themselves, not his office.

"Sure, people can be critical," said Garza. "One of the things to keep in mind is, there's no blueprint here. There is no one that has done this before."

As for the perceived lack of supply, Garza strongly disagreed.

"Remember that for 19 months, it's been legal for people to possess an ounce or less of marijuana," he said. "Where do you think they're getting that marijuana? I don't think there's a lack of supply in Washington state."

Colorado began selling pot for recreational use Jan. 1. Like Colorado, Washington already had a medical marijuana system in place. The new stores opening Tuesday allow adults over 21 to buy pot just for fun. Regulators in both states have been consulting each other via phone every two weeks for months, sharing tips and best practices as they develop them.

"I think they've got a good handle on what they're doing," said Andrew Freedman, Colorado's director of marijuana coordination.

Colorado already has collected more than $24 million in marijuana taxes and fees as residents and tourists buy pot at state-licensed stores. Washington expects to collect $190 million over the next four years, according to state projections.

At 2020 Solutions in Bellingham, an "issue with the processor" delayed the store's opening until Thursday. But Senior Vice President of Operations Aaron Nelson said that due to "the relationships we've built with our suppliers" he does not expect a problem keeping pot stocked. Still, "I anticipate there will definitely be a line when we open," he said.

Freedom Market in Kelso had a delayed opening Tuesday.

"We're actually still waiting for product," said Kathleen Nelson, the store's owner . "We were supposed to have product at 11:30 a.m. Now it's supposed to arrive at 6 o clock tonight, so we'll open at 7.

"But we're really excited and ready to go, it's just a glitch in the system. It was just a problem with the producers," she said.

Freedom Market is Nelson's first retail operation. She has two existing medical marijuana locations.

"We're just happy to be on the cutting edge of history," Nelson said.

"We had a line out the door this morning, and we've had a steady stream coming in since then," said Sigrid Williams, a manager at Top Shelf Cannabis. "Everyone is so happy, so excited. They can't believe it's actually happening. We're just trying to get the product to the people as quickly as we can."

Outside Cannabis City on Monday afternoon, Deb Greene had claimed the first spot in line. She was armed with food and a good book.

"Now you get good stuff. You get it legally," Greene beamed.

Diaz wasn't thrilled with her buying experience at Cannabis City. She paid $40 for two grams of pre-packaged marijuana.

"When you're in the store itself, they want you to get out of the store really fast and make a purchase and leave," Diaz said. "And they don't really have a large assortment."

Diaz planned to take the marijuana home to share with her dad.

"He told me he had smoked pot before when he was younger, hasn't done it for a long time. He's like 60 and I guess he's open to doing it again," she said.

John Langeler reports for KING-TV, Seattle. Contributing: Trevor Hughes, Rachel Chason and Paulina Firozi, USA TODAY; Whitney Ward, KREM-TV, Spokane; Elisa Hahn and Heather Graf, KING-TV, Seattle; Associated Press

Map of Washington state marijuana shops

Use the zoom out function on the map to see retailers in the eastern part of the state or use your mouse to move the base map. Here is a list of the 25 dealers that have been issued licenses as of Tuesday.