Hundreds of people waited for hours in long queues on the first day recreational marijuana went on sale in the US state of Nevada. 

Tourists joined locals to mark the event as Nevada became the fifth state with stores selling cannabis to the public. 

Veteran consumers, first-time buyers, twenty-something and retirees were among those who defied Los Angeles' hot temperature to get to the stores on the first of the new law. 

Some shops decided to open shortly after midnight, when the law officially came into force. 

Footage on social media shows ribbon-cutting and hundreds of people cheering as the shops selling pot greeted their first customers. 

Under the new law, adults over 21-years-old can now buy up to an ounce of the drug at a time and use it in their homes if they have a valid ID. 

Showrooms were packed with people, ATM's were emptied for cash-only sales and green fireworks even lit up the sky in Las Vegas, CNN reports. 

Customers buy cannabis products at Essence Vegas Cannabis Dispensary after the start of recreational marijuana sales (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

One couple even decided to mark the day by getting married in a giant marijuana greenhouse. 

While the bride Anna carried a bouquet of weed leaves the groom, Mark Balfe-Taylor, had a giant bud tucked into his coat pocket, the US broadcaster reports. 

If the queues are likely to fade in the next few days, the new law is expected to generate $60m (£46m) in tax revenue in the next two years. 

Due to federal marijuana laws and state casino laws, marijuana dispensaries cannot be located on the famous Las Vegas strip.

Marijuana is now legalised to some extent in 29 states in the US.