Pot Shops Open and Legal in Colorado

It is now legal to buy marijuana for recreational purposes in Colorado.

At least two dozen pot shops opened in eight towns January 1st, with thousands of people flocking to buy the drug.

Some people drove more than ten or fifteen hours to buy pot in Colorado. Jacob Elliot, a daily marijuana user, said he sold his house in another state a couple of months ago to prepare to move to Colorado.  

But while pot users celebrate, all eyes are on Colorado to see how the legalizing of the substance affects the state as a whole.

There was no shortage of skeptics worried retail pot would endanger the public.  A group of addiction counselors and physicians said they're seeing more marijuana addiction problems, especially in teens.

Dr. Christian Thurstone, of the Denver Health and Hospital Authority, says that although some people think marijuana is just psychologically addictive, not physically addictive, he can say from personal experience that "these kids who come to see us are dropping out of life."

Addiction counselors worry the drug will be more widely available to teens, even though legal sales are limited to adults over 21.  One addiction expert at the University of Colorado Hospital said legalizing pot is "just throwing gas on the fire."

Authorities also warned that bringing it across state lines is against federal law.