73 Dispensaries can now sell recreational marijuana. Here they are.

The cool weed is here.

The Arizona Department of Health Services has approved 73 dispensaries to begin selling recreational marijuana products to adults 21 and over.

See the bottom of this post for the complete list of dispensaries, with names and contact information, by DHS.

A spokesman for The Mint dispensary, which has a Tempe location and a Mesa, said sales will begin today (Friday) at 4:20 pm

Territory, which has dispensaries in Chandler, Gilbert and Mesa, says it will also start selling at its locations at 4:20 pm

Curaleaf, which has eight dispensaries across the state, started selling at noon in its stores.

Harvest Health and Recreation operates 15 dispensaries in the state. CEO Steve White says New Times “12 or 13” of these have been approved so far and are open and already selling recreational marijuana, including Scottsdale’s location in 15190 N. Hayden.

“We consumed our first sale in 17 seconds, I think, after we received state approval today,” said White. “I hope to see queues today and probably at the weekend, but I believe that traffic should normalize after that.”

The approval comes after 60 percent of Arizona voters supported the state’s last attempt to legalize recreational marijuana – Proposition 207 – in November.

Under the new law, adults 21 and older can carry up to 30 grams of marijuana, with up to five grams of that concentrate, and grow up to six cannabis plants at home. The law also allows medical marijuana dispensaries to start selling to recreational users after receiving state approval. It has now started.

Specifically, the measure required the Arizona Department of Health Services to begin accepting applications on January 19 from the first applicants: existing dispensaries or applicants who wish to open one in a county that already has less than two dispensaries.

Some saw this as a way for the existing industry, which financed the initiative campaign, to obtain the limited number of licenses and maintain the market monopoly. But it is also a way to avoid the logistical problems that have delayed deployment in states that have tried to build an entirely new cannabis system from scratch.

The law gives state regulators 60 days from when the early registration window ends on March 9 to start issuing licenses, but dispensaries expect the state to grant licenses much earlier – and it appears that this has happened.

Sam Richard, executive director of the Arizona Dispensaries Association, said salespeople had earned the trust of state officials, paving the way for quick approval.

“These are known quantities,” he said. “They are entities known to regulators.”

While some in the industry expected an immediate stamp and sales to begin on January 20, Richard said it took a little longer for orders to be shipped than expected and that background checks required fingerprints to be submitted in person.

“O [Arizona Department of Health Services] she herself is anxious not to be the body that gets in the way of cannabis used by adults, “he said.

An agency spokesman said New Times last week, licenses will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis, meaning that the number of dispensaries offering recreational products is likely to continue to increase in the coming days. At some point, the state will also issue licenses for 26 new dispensaries through a social equity program, but the details still need to be worked out.

A spokesman said ADHS said the agency had already received 61 applications by Wednesday afternoon.

Some local producers expect a 3x growth in sales. Item 9 Labs revenue director Bryce Skalla said the company had to find extra space to store the extra packaging they had stocked

“We have giant cargo containers … full of packaging,” he said. “Where do you put a million pots?”

Skalla also warned that for those who are experimenting with marijuana products for the first time in decades, today’s products are much stronger. He recommends getting a quarter of what you think you should receive.

Recreational sales are also subject to a 16% state tax and you may still have trouble smoking in public or driving while you’re high, so be smart!

The weather outside of Curaleaf, in south-central Phoenix, was festive just after 2:30 pm. Two quick lines of recreational clients and doctors were separated by a velvet rope while a DJ played.

Friends AJ Johnson and Bobby Jones were figuring out how to queue their orders before entering. Johnson said Phoenix New Times that he was trying to buy the best flower they had.

“We want that shit that will get you high for two days,” he said.

Behind them in line, welder Erick Fonseca said he came right after work after receiving a news alert over the phone. He hoped to buy some food to take advantage of the weather this weekend.

“I’m glad I don’t have to get him off the street,” he said. “It was time for them to do something smart.”

Not everyone was excited about legalization.

“Now I have to wait in a long line,” said medical patient West Scott. He plans to keep his card to avoid the 16% state recreational sales tax.

Adding to the celebratory atmosphere, Mesa chef Jacquelynn Hanley was hired to provide catering. She was serving lemon chicken, green beans with herbs, pasta salad and a mixed green salad. Hanley said he usually attended sophisticated events, so that was a nice change.

“Everyone here has been very relaxed and relaxed,” she said. “They are not demanding.”

At the Curaleaf site in Midtown, Phoenix, about 30 people were in line just before 5 pm. Many came as soon as they heard that recreational sales had started.

“I found out right now when I left my packages at UPS,” said Kisha Vega while waiting in line.

Nick Harper lives nearby and came as soon as he saw a news post on Instagram that sales were going on. He has some cartridges that he uses to self-medicate his leg.

“It makes it a lot easier to get it for myself,” he said.

Keith Morris, a Curaleaf employee, was helping people with pre-orders before they entered. He said the crowd was quite diverse.

“I think people know what they want,” he said.

Chella Marie had driven to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa indigenous community store with her brother and two adult children, as there are no dispensaries on the reservation. Marie managed to concentrate for tonight. After eating Fry Bread Friday for dinner, she plans to consume some cannabis and then set up a playground for her grandchildren.

“Grandma will be there laughing and singing with them,” she said.

While an elderly medical patient chose not to wait in line, others were happy to see other people having access. Professor Emily Bacon saw legalization as a snapshot of Arizona becoming younger and more diverse.

“It’s fun to be a part of that,” she said.

(This story was updated a few hours after publication.)

Here is the list: