Crowds Flock to Legal Marijuana Stores in Colo.

In a historic swirl of commerce and cannabis, the world's first stores licensed to sell marijuana legally to anyone 21 or older opened in Colorado on Wednesday, the Denver Post reports.

From Telluride to Denver, thousands of people cheerfully stood in lines for hours to buy legal marijuana after presenting nothing more than identification.

Marijuana activists hailed the day as a watershed in their effort to overturn anti-cannabis laws. Store owners — several of whom said the turnout exceeded even their own ambitious expectations — feared running out of supply.

Police reported no problems with the crowds, and government officials marveled at the calm.