Crowds line up for first day of legal marijuana sales

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Crowds are lining up for the first day of legal recreational marijuana sales in Michigan. A handful of shops, mostly in Ann Arbor, are approved to start selling Sunday.

The Detroit News reports customers traveled from nearby states including Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Twenty-five-year-old Kelly Savage of Columbus, Ohio arrived the night before to be the first in line at Exclusive Provisioning Center. He says he wants to be a part of history and spent nearly $500.

Michigan officials estimate first-year sales at hundreds of millions of dollars, but recreational marijuana isn’t broadly available yet.

More than 1,400 of Michigan’s nearly 1,800 cities, townships and villages aren’t allowing recreational businesses. Detroit, with Michigan’s most medical marijuana dispensaries, has delayed recreational sales until at least Jan. 31.

Illinois starts recreational sales in January.

More on the legalization of recreational marijuana:

• Marijuana in Michigan: Recreational sales to begin Sunday in Ann Arbor
• Ann Arbor dispensary receives first recreational marijuana license in Michigan
• Michigan issues 1st recreational marijuana licenses to Ann Arbor business