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Recreational Marijuana Could Be On Sale In Washington By Early 2014

Legal Weed Could Be On Sale In This State By Early 2014
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News Editor, The Huffington Post

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Washington, get ready. Legal weed could be on sale early next year.

According to a report in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Washington's rules for legal pot growers were recently amended to let growers start with mature (but non-flowering) plants. This is a crucial revision from the earlier rules, which specified that growers needed to start with a seed or a small clone, which would have taken much longer to flower, the Intelligencer explains.

Washington will start issuing licenses for weed growers on Dec. 1, so depending on how long it takes for licenses to be issued, there could be ripe, mature buds on the market by spring.

Washington and Colorado became the first states to make recreational weed legal in historic votes on Election Day 2012.

On Aug. 29, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told the governors of both Washington and Colorado that the Justice Department would allow them to implement legal marijuana laws for adult consumption. Holder's landmark decision set the precedent for other states to also legalize pot for recreational use and incited the wrath of police groups who say they weren't consulted in the decision.

In Washington, it's legal to possess up to an ounce of weed. While the state has limited the number of marijuana stores to 334 statewide, a quick bit of math shows that means an average of just under nine stores per county -- which should be enough to keep pot lovers there happy.

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Before You Go

9 Mind-Blowing Weed Gadgets
A Stealth Bong(01 of09)
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Royght!, based in Southern California, is developing an accessory that turns any Starbucks venti cup into a water pipe. The gadget, which the company plans to retail for $19.95, fits snugly atop the standard-issue wax-paper cups used by takeout restaurants. Matt Luxton, Royght's owner, said he's already raised $140,000 for his vision and needs $80,000 more. He said the product can roll out in two months. (credit:Eleazar David Meléndez / Huffington Post)
A Way To Show Off More Discerning Tastes(02 of09)
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New York-based Rodawg is creating what CEO Josh Gordon called "a lifestyle brand for professional smokers." The company said it plans a full line of ganja-themed accessories. "The products within the industry are still tied to that hippie or stoner look," Gordon said. "Ours have more of a cigar aficionado feel: it's 'Grey Goose meets John Varvatos' rather than the traditional brand with the pot leafs and tie-dye." (credit:Rodawg / Handout)
A Weed Jar Worthy Of The Mantelpiece(03 of09)
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Among Rodawg's offerings soon to be sold at retailers is a line of storage jars "more consistent with the packaging of high-class spirits." (credit:Rodawg / Handout)
A Stash Holder That's All About The Plant(04 of09)
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Ross Kirsh, a medical marijuana patient who owns New York-based Quark, came up with the idea of a mid-concept weed holder that puts the focus on the product inside. An upgrade on the Mason jar many smokers use to store their skunk, Kirsh's invention replaces the top of the pot receptacle with magnifying glasses. Kirsh expects the product to retail for $9.99 and said he needs $50,000 to make it a reality. (credit:Quark / Handout)
A Pipe That Matches Your Suit And Tie(05 of09)
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Buckle Puffer, a Cleveland-based upstart, is looking to market a stainless steel belt buckle that doubles as a discrete marijuana pipe. Samson Mastroianni, a senior at John Carroll University in Cleveland and the company president, said the idea is to create a product that blends in with semi-formal male business attire. Mastroianni said he believes he's aiming at a $200 million market he called "apparelphernalia." (credit:Eleazar David Meléndez / The Huffington Post)
A Power Cleaner For Your Pipe(06 of09)
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Nothing disrupts the flow of a smoking session quite like a clogged pipe. KashIt, a San Diego-based company, is developing a hand-held power tool to clear those pesky clogs. The company seeks to raise $115,000 to develop KashIt Clean, expected to retail for $25. No word if the cleaner will work on 1980s-era video game cartridges. (credit:Eleazar David Meléndez / The Huffington Post)
Air Conditioning For Your Bong(07 of09)
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Kashit is also working on a prototype accessory that fits atop bong mouthpieces, forcing the marijuana smoke through a cooling mechanism. Nimesh Goel, one of Kashit's co-founders, said the product would have an anti-microbial component, in a nod to germophobe stoners. "Everything we develop creates a solution to a personal problem we ourselves have experienced while smoking," Goel said. (credit:Eleazar David Meléndez / The Huffington Post)
A Lightning-Quick Mobile Vaporizer(08 of09)
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UpToke, based in California, is developing a portable vaporizer with a sophisticated look and enough technology under the hood to smoke the competition. The company's signature product is a $300 contraption about twice the size of a cigar. It heats marijuana to a smoking point in 2.7 seconds, a vast improvement over existing pocket vaporizers. The odor emitted by the device is very faint. (credit:Eleazar David Meléndez / The Huffington Post)
Supplements To Enhance Your Buzz(09 of09)
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An upstart CEO who asked that he not be named, given the embryonic state of his venture, is working on a line of chewing gum products to end “cottonmouth,” the parched throat feeling many people have after smoking marijuana. A few investors told HuffPo the holy grail of products, which no one has come up with yet, would be a supplement that somehow helps people who’ve imbibed too much sober up. Talk about a buzzkill. (credit:Flickr / J Kivinen)
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