The Latest: Alaska’s first marijuana shop opens to long line

Alaska’s first marijuana store is now in business, drawing a crowd from all over the state.

Herbal Outfitters’ owner Richard Ballow says his store in Valdez accepted customers as planned Saturday, at “high noon.” He says more than 250 people were waiting in line to get in his shop.

Ballow says customers came from as far away as Anchorage and Fairbanks, more than 350 miles to the north. He says he feels blessed to be a part of something historic.

The opening of Herbal Outfitters marks the first time it’s been legal to buy pot since November 2014, when Alaska residents voted to allow people 21 and older to use pot recreationally.

The opening comes less than a week after the state’s first marijuana testing lab got to work in Anchorage.

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