Cannabis City and scores of other marijuana shops in Seattle and around Washington State are sailing in what were previously unchartered waters. The Washington Liquor Control Board allotted retail licenses to 334 marijuana operations around the state, with around 20 of these operations getting their official licenses to open as early as July 7, 2014. So it now stands that in Washington, recreational marijuana can be sold. Of course, the state’s marijuana outlets don’t just sell marijuana itself. They also offer various other products, including the requisite paraphernalia.

Since it was the first to open among the marijuana stores in Seattle, Cannabis City gets the tag as being Seattle’s first recreational pot store. This was also the first marijuana shop to open in Washington State in general. You can find Cannabis City to the near south of the downtown core at Fourth Avenue South and South Lander Street (SoDo neighborhood). Upon opening for business at noon on July 8, 2014, Cannabis City welcomed throngs of visitors who weren’t only looking to score a little smoke. They were also looking to be a part of history.

Only Colorado has beaten Washington to the punch in opening retail shops that sell recreational marijuana. Both states voted to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012, and it took Washington a little longer to get everything into place. History aside, both states have taken an interest in the tourism that is being generated by their pot industries. It’s kind of like Amsterdam was not too long ago. A place where the novelty of being able to purchase marijuana freely and openly was part of the allure for many. There just aren’t many places across the globe where you can openly purchase pot.

Where In Washington?

Zoom in and around the map to locate marijuana stores in Washington State.

It is important to discuss the laws and to clear up the particulars when it comes to what you can and cannot buy at the marijuana stores in Seattle and at the other shops that are found elsewhere around Washington State. For starters, you must be at least 21 years old to enter a marijuana store in Washington. Once inside, an individual who meets the age requirements can purchase up to one ounce (28 grams) of dried marijuana buds, up to 16 ounces (0.45 kilograms) of marijuana-infused product in solid form, or up to 72 ounces (2 kilograms) of marijuana-infused product in liquid form.

Both Washington residents and people who are visiting from outside of the state can purchase recreational marijuana. Just remember not to smoke in public, as that is illegal. If you are caught doing so, you won’t be arrested, but you will likely be given a ticket and required to pay a fine. Driving while high on marijuana is illegal, and for now, it is not permitted to smoke at the retail marijuana shops. Talk of public marijuana cafes and things the like has been circulating, but for now, smokers will have to keep their smoking out of the view of the general public.

If you take a look at a Washington map that highlights the businesses that have been chosen to receive retail marijuana licenses, you will notice that the majority of the businesses are found in the general Seattle and Puget Sound region. Spokane does well to represent the eastern part of the state, and a good number of shops can be found in the southwest near the border of Oregon and the city of Portland. Essentially, all four corners of Washington are covered, and you’ll find a fairly healthy number of shops scattered across the interior region as well. Even some of the state’s islands can count marijuana shops among their resident businesses. When awarding retail marijuana licenses, the Washington Liquor Control Board took into account such things as the area population, geographic dispersion and the individual applicant’s readiness to be licensed.