The state of Washington this week handed out its first licenses to approved marijuana vendors, nearly two years after voters decriminalized the drug for recreational use. A spokesman for Washingtons regulatory agency told the New York Times that only about 20 licenses will be issued during the first phase, including just one store in Seattle, Washingtons largest city. Voters in both Washington and Colorado legalized recreational marijuana in November 2012, but the states have implemented their policies in very different ways. While Colorado moved swiftly to open retail weed operations — stores opened for business in January — Washington has proceeded more slowly, due in part to still-heated opposition from some local governments.
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