Possession of marijuana has become legal in the US state of Washington, a month after voters opted for decriminalisation.
From midnight (08:00 GMT) anyone aged 21 and over was allowed to carry up to 1oz (28.4g) of cannabis, but smoking it in public will remain illegal.
It has been legal for medical use in the state since 1998.
A law legalising gay marriage also came into effect in Washington state on Thursday.
On 6 November Washington, Maine and Maryland became the first US states to back same-sex marriage in a popular vote, and Washington is the first of those to enact the law.
The first same-sex weddings in Washington are expected on Sunday.
Gay marriage is permitted in six states, but those laws were passed by legislators or by courts.
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Also on 6 November, Washington and Colorado both voted to decriminalise marijuana, which remains illegal under US federal law.
However, there will be nowhere to purchase marijuana legally in Washington for at least another year.
It also remains unclear how federal law enforcement agencies will deal with liberalisation of drug laws in Washington and - eventually - Colorado.
Any decision to crack down on states with liberal drug laws could affect Washington's plans to raise tax revenues from a licensed and controlled marijuana market.
"We're in uncharted water here," Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes said at a news conference on Wednesday.
"We've struggled with prohibition for a century," Mr Holmes said, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
"It's going to take some time to substitute a state-licensed and regulated system."
Backers of the Washington law insist it does not encourage or require anyone to break federal law.
But a regional federal prosecutor in the state, Jenny Durkan, told the Post-Intelligencer that "growing, selling or possessing any amount of marijuana remains illegal under federal law," no matter what state law comes into effect in Washington.
The drug remained in the same category as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine, she said, adding that only Congress could change that designation.
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