Just 20 months after the use of marijuana in Washington was legalized, public sale officially began Wednesday.

For the statewide grand opening, 24 stores in Washington – with shelves stocked with strains – opened its doors to eager customers who have long awaited this opportunity.

In comparison, Colorado was the first state to open its doors to publicly sell weed on the first day of 2014 and began with 37 certified stores. Currently, Colorado has 70 operating marijuana stores, according to the website Colorado Pot Guide.

Top Shelf Cannabis in Bellingham and Altitude in Prosser were the first stores in Washington to open at 8a.m., on Wednesday.

Growing concerns over weed in Eugene?

Considering the relatively short trip up I-5 for Eugene residents, local police aren’t worried about an influx of marijuana-related crimes in town.

“I don’t see there being a massive change,” said Kelly McIver, communications director and public information officer for the University of Oregon Police Department, “because it is still an illegal substance in Oregon.”

McIver believes that UO students who already use and possess marijuana will continue their patterns. According to some media releases that he has read, the cost is popularly higher in Washington than Oregon, and therefore he expects drug crimes to stay steady.

As of fall 2013, students from Washington comprise the second-largest group of out-of-state enrollment, after California, with 890 students. California enrolled 4,852 students.

Regardless of the geographic makeup, McIver does not see that this new shift in sale just above Oregon’s border will cause problems for the UO campus.

McIver also said that marijuana will “not present a serious change in the way that business is done” for UOPD, and he has no say in whether this will affect the November ballot measure regarding the legalization of marijuana in Oregon.