Big crowds greeted the beginning of legal recreational marijuana sales in Las Vegas and around Nevada on Saturday morning.

Marijuana buds of the strain "Red Eye OG" in a jar at Reef Dispensaries near the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, June 29, 2017. Patrick Connolly Las Vegas Review-Journal @PConnPie

Budtender Tom Nieves, right, assists customer Ethan, of Henderson, during the first day of recreational marijuana sales at Acres Cannabis in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Anthony Hubbard, left, prepares rolled joints in the kitchen area at Acres Cannabis during the first day of recreational sales in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Budtender Tom Nieves, left, assists customer Ethan, of Henderson, during the first day of recreational marijuana sales at Acres Cannabis in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Asia Jade watches as Anthony Hubbard prepares rolled joints in the kitchen area at Acres Cannabis during the first day of recreational sales in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Customers arrive at Acres Cannabis during the first day of recreational sales in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Customers browse through marijuana products during the first day of recreational sales at Acres Cannabis in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Budtender Tom Nieves displays marijuana products to customers during the first day of recreational sales at Acres Cannabis in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Henderson resident Ethan, right, purchases marijuana products during the first day of recreational sales at Acres Cannabis in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Edible marijuana items are displayed in the kitchen area at Acres Cannabis during the first day of recreational sales in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Customers take a look at the kitchen area at Acres Cannabis during the first day of recreational sales in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Mark of Official Genius, center right, shows off glassware products outside of Acres Cannabis during the first day of recreational sales in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Anthony Hubbard prepares rolled joints in the kitchen area at Acres Cannabis during the first day of recreational sales in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Anthony Hubbard, center right, prepares rolled joints in the kitchen area at Acres Cannabis during the first day of recreational sales in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Jake Schlei, left, and Stephen Ward, both of Las Vegas, browse through edible marijuana products during the first day of recreational sales at Acres Cannabis in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Henderson resident Ethan takes out cash to pay for marijuana products during the first day of recreational sales at Acres Cannabis in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Henderson resident Ethan looks through marijuana products during the first day of recreational sales at Acres Cannabis in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Customers line up for marijuana products during the first day of recreational sales at Acres Cannabis in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Brian Orr works on making edible marijuana products in the kitchen area at Acres Cannabis during the first day of recreational sales in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

An inflatable joint outside of Acres Cannabis during the first day of recreational sales in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Anthony Hubbard prepares rolled joints in the kitchen area at Acres Cannabis during the first day of recreational sales in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Brian Orr, left, works on making edible marijuana products in the kitchen area at Acres Cannabis during the first day of recreational sales in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

A customer looks through marijuana items as recreational sales become legal in Nevada at Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, hands over cash to be the first customer to buy recreational marijuana at Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Customers cheer as the clock turns to midnight allowing for the purchase of recreational marijuana at Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

A customer receives change for a marijuana purchase as recreational sales become legal in Nevada at Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Customers line up to be some of the first to legally purchase recreational marijuana at Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Friday, June 30, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, right, joins, Armahn Diamond, left, and Raynard White in line to purchase recreational marijuana from Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Friday, June 30, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Customers line up to be some of the first to legally purchase recreational marijuana at Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Friday, June 30, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Fireworks go off as customers line up to be some of the first people to legally purchase recreational marijuana at Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Friday, June 30, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Customers line up to be some of the first to legally purchase recreational marijuana at Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Customers line up to be some of the first people to legally purchase recreational marijuana at Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Leslie Bocskor looks through marijuana items as recreational sales become legal in Nevada at Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

A menu of marijuana items at Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Marijuana at Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Customers line up to be some of the first people to legally purchase recreational marijuana from a dispensary at Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

People make their way to Reef Dispensaries to line up for the first recreational marijuana sales in Las Vegas on Friday, June 30, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Customers line up to be some of the first to legally purchase recreational marijuana at Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Friday, June 30, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, checks out marijuana before being the first customer to buy recreational marijuana at Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Customers line up to be some of the first to legally purchase recreational marijuana at Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Friday, June 30, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Fireworks go off as customers line up to be some of the first people to legally purchase recreational marijuana at Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Friday, June 30, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

A customer looks through marijuana items as recreational sales become legal in Nevada at Reef Dispensaries in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

They lined up by the hundreds before midnight under the bright lights of the Strip. Limousines and party buses ushered tourists and locals to the Friday night revelry.

But this was no nightclub.

Fireworks and strobe lights and loud music set the scene at Reef Dispensaries, a marijuana shop a few steps behind the Fashion Show mall, where the line of customers stretched down and around the 165,000-square-foot building.

“I’m excited!” shouted Las Vegan Majanae Brown, 24, as the minutes ticked toward midnight. “I can’t wait.”

And when Friday finally turned to Saturday, Nevada officially joined Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts and Alaska as states where marijuana can be legally purchased for recreational use, along with Washington, D.C.

Less than eight months after Nevada voters passed Question 2 by 8 percentage points, dozens of stores across Southern Nevada began selling marijuana legally.

Despite the large crowds at dispensaries across the valley, police reported no issues with Saturday’s rollout of marijuana sales. Although it’s now legal for adults 21 and older to buy and possess up to an ounce of marijuana, consuming it in public remains illegal. There were no signs of use at dispensaries Saturday, and a reporter who walked the Strip on Saturday afternoon saw just one open user, who wouldn’t say who he was or whether he’d bought the drug legally.

At Euphoria Wellness, there were no party buses, fireworks or strobe lights. The only music to be heard played lightly from the cellphone of a customer near the door. But hundreds stood in a line that stretched around the strip mall building on Jones Boulevard south of Warm Springs Road.

“This is the largest I’ve ever seen,” Euphoria Wellness co-owner Larry Doyle said.

Selling and possessing marijuana is still a federal crime. But that didn’t deter people accustomed to buying the drug on the black market.

“You don’t have to hide in the corner anymore and feel bad about it,” Pam Mateo said as she walked out of Euphoria at 1:30 a.m. Saturday with her purchase.

Shango Las Vegas, a dispensary on Boulder Highway and East Twain Avenue, opened for recreational sales from midnight to 3 a.m. and then again at 7 a.m. Gabriel Arias, who helped set up the shop’s computer systems in Portland, Oregon, and Las Vegas, said 150 customers stood in line at 7 a.m.

By 5 p.m. Saturday, the line wound around the parking lot.

“This is about as much as it’s died down,” Arias said about 4:45 p.m., looking toward the crowd of about 55 people waiting to reach the business’s entrance.

Advocates celebrate

For marijuana advocates, Saturday was a moment two decades in the making.

Nevadans first voted to legalize medical marijuana use in 1998. And advocates such as Scot Rutledge, who managed the 2016 campaign in support of Question 2, touted the lines at dispensaries across the valley as a sign that Las Vegas was more than ready for legal marijuana.

“It speaks to the enthusiasm about what this means,” Rutledge said. “Being able to purchase it legally for the first time, it’s a sea change from where we were 10 years ago.”

Reef’s first customer was state Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, who led efforts to allow medical marijuana dispensaries, then let them sell the drug for recreational use. Segerblom strode through Reef’s front doors, past the security door and right to the sales counter. His purchase? Segerblom Haze, a strain of plant named after him.

Opposing viewpoints

Legalized marijuana has opponents. Scott Chipman, co-chairman of Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana in Southern California, said the drug hurts its users and children and the public. He called swimming, biking, picnicking and vacationing recreation, not marijuana use.

“We have to consider what we’re telling our kids — That we think living in an altered mental state is something you to do recreate,” Chipman said. “We’re sending a horrible message, and we’re endangering people on the road and our children and teens.”

Nevada Assemblyman Ira Hansen, R-Sparks, called the legalization of recreational marijuana “a huge mistake all the way around.”

“For a community like Las Vegas, I don’t see how it benefits Las Vegas,” he said. “I don’t see how people sitting around smoking pot is going to encourage them to do things that typical tourists do. … The last thing we need is more impaired people here.”

Crowds continued

As dispensaries across the valley reopened Saturday morning (local ordinances force them to close between 3 and 6 a.m.), lines again spilled out the front doors.

Around 11 a.m., as the mid late-morning sun beat down and temperatures reached triple digits, a line of more than 100 people stretched outside Reef.

Greg Fuller, 32, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was still amazed that he was about to legally buy marijuana.

“It’s just so weird,” Fuller said. “You don’t go to the store and buy weed. This is a hell of an experience.”

Not every store wanted to deal with the midnight rush. The Source Dispensary at Sahara Avenue and Rainbow Boulevard kept its normal store hours and opened at 9 a.m. Saturday.

But the store’s decision to skip a predawn opening didn’t seem to hurt it. About 150 people were waiting for the doors to open, including 73-year-old Navy veteran Hal Nelson, who said he’s smoked “almost every day” dating back to 1966.

“I really never thought I’d live to see it,” Nelson said. “I thought it would be undercover forever, and I’d just have to continue finding it the best way I could.”

But Nelson said he wasn’t there to buy Saturday. He was there to see history.

“I’m just window shopping,” he said. “I’ve still got some at home.”

Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter. Review-Journal writers Briana Erickson and Kimber Laux contributed to this report.







How marijuana got here Nevada’s two-decade path toward marijuana legalization: Nov. 3, 1998: Medical marijuana use approved by voters first time (needed two separate voter approvals) Nov. 7, 2000: Medical marijuana use approved by voters a second time Oct. 1, 2001: Medical marijuana use becomes legal in Nevada. Nov. 5, 2002: First attempt to legalize recreational marijuana use and sales fails by 39-61 percent margin. Nov. 7, 2006: Second attempt to legalize recreational marijuana use and sales fails by 44-56 percent margin. 2013: Nevada lawmakers pass laws that allow for legal sale of medical marijuana in Nevada. July 31, 2015: Nevada’s first medical marijuana dispensary opens in Sparks Nov. 8, 2016: Voters approve ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana use and sales by 54-46 percent margin. Jan. 1, 2017: Possession of less than one ounce of marijuana became legal for adults 21-and-older in Nevada July 1, 2017: Recreational marijuana becomes legal