Oregon started allowing limited recreational marijuana sales this past week (October 1st), and since then my Facebook feed has been inundated with pictures of people visiting dispensaries, working at dispensaries, and promoting dispensaries. Every time I log in to Facebook lately it puts a smile on my face to see the state that I was born and raised in allowing the marijuana industry to operate out in the open, instead of in the shadows like it had been for so long.

He said he’s been seeing customers from as far away as Idaho.

Eager night owls lined up as the sales started early Thursday, although most stores are opening at a more reasonable hour.

More than half of the state’s dispensaries have registered to sell recreational marijuana.

Oregon is the third state to allow the sale of recreational marijuana, following Colorado and Washington, and its rollout is unique. However, until now, only medical marijuana card holders were allowed to legally buy it. Now the dispensaries have been given the green light to sell pot to the general public, reports the Northwest News Network.

The three young men climbing into the pickup truck close to the Oregon border cheerfully acknowledged they were about to break federal law. But they won’t be doing it for much longer.

Anthony, Daniel and Chris bustled out of a marijuana shop in Vancouver, Washington, clutching bags of weed as they headed home a short drive over the bridge to Portland, Oregon.

Crossing state lines with drugs is a federal offence but that has not discouraged the steady stream of customers from Portland taking advantage of Washington’s legalisation of recreational marijuana sales last year.

But starting on Thursday, Oregon joins Washington in permitting the sale of marijuana for recreational use to anyone over the age of 21.

Wow, dude, you're going to college in Oregon? Pot is legal there! You can smoke a joint before Econ class, right?

Uh, wrong.

Wrong on so many levels: collegiate, federal and possibly state, for starters.

Legal sales of recreational marijuana to adults began Thursday in Oregon. But administrators of Oregon colleges and universities, both public and private, say nothing has changed or will change on their campuses because of the state's new pot law.

The three young men climbing into the pickup truck close to the Oregon border cheerfully acknowledged they were about to break federal law. But they won’t be doing it for much longer.

Anthony, Daniel and Chris bustled out of a marijuana shop in Vancouver, Washington, clutching bags of weed as they headed home a short drive over the bridge to Portland, Oregon.

Crossing state lines with drugs is a federal offence but that has not discouraged the steady stream of customers from Portland taking advantage of Washington’s legalisation of recreational marijuana sales last year.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Excited shoppers looking to score some of the first recreational marijuana sold legally in Oregon bought up baggies of bud early Thursday, taking advantage of door-buster prices and other deals.

Some of the more than 250 dispensaries that already offer medical marijuana in the state welcomed recreational users soon after midnight — just moments after it became legal to sell to anyone who is at least 21.

At Shango Premium Cannabis in Portland, co-founder Shane McKee said the first sale came about a minute after midnight and many others quickly followed.

"I think it's not only historical for folks in Oregon, but nationwide — anytime people start selling that as an alternative to alcohol or tobacco," he said in a telephone interview.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Eager night owls looking to score some of the first recreational pot in Oregon bought up baggies of bud at shops that opened early Thursday, some taking advantage of door-buster deals.

Some of the more than 250 dispensaries that already offer medical marijuana welcomed lines of enthusiasts soon after midnight — just moments after it became legal to sell to anyone who is at least 21. There were no reports of problems from early sales, although most stores planned to open at a more reasonable hour.

WALLED LAKE, Mich., Oct. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Michigan-based medical cannabis testing lab, IRON Laboratories, is expanding operations with a new HB3460 compliant testing facility opening in Eugene, Oregon today.

The new IRON Laboratories facility follows strict ISO/IEC 17025:2005 certified testing protocols to test for pesticides, impurities, and other contaminants, utilizing advanced chromatography and microbial analysis and will also offer consulting and research services as well as mobile testing on all cannabis products, both medicinal and recreational.

Research suggests new laws have slim impact on interest to visit the Centennial State, even act as slight tourist deterrent in Washington, Alaska and Oregon.

Mile-high expectations for the potential of  “weed tourism” may be overstated according to a new study by leading integrated travel marketing firm, MMGY Global. The report reveals that the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon is likely to have minimal impact overall on leisure travelers’ interest in visiting these states. In fact, it may even serve as a slight deterrent to visitation in the months ahead.

The national survey of 2,300 U.S. adults revealed the following:

On Thursday October 1, Oregon became the third state to make recreational marijuana legally available to those over the age of 21. The legalization occurred earlier than originally planned due to the complexity of the compromise involved in the legalization bill.

Oregon joins Washington and Colorado as the third state to legalize recreational marijuana, with Alaska and the District of Colombia to join the number soon. Oregon’s legislation has an interesting compromise, allowing cities where the majority of the residents oppose legalization to ban sales of marijuana all together.