On Sunday afternoon, in a parking lot near the northeast corner of Academy Boulevard and Austin Bluffs Parkway, an outdoor party was underway, with food trucks, games, a disc jockey spinning tunes and a 6-foot Easter bunny. But the spring jamboree, located outside Green Pharm’s North Academy store, was not the typical Easter celebration.

This year, the religious observance coincided with “4/20,” cannabis culture’s unofficial high holiday. What’s more, it was the first Sunday since recreational marijuana retail sales began in Colorado Springs.

In November, voters approved retail sales by 54.7% to 45.3%, according to data from the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. An opposing question that sought to outlaw recreational sales in Colorado Springs was voted down, 50.6% to 49.4%.

Recreational sales got off to a rocky start on Tuesday, as several of the 27 approved locations hit a snag with product delivery, Green Pharm manager Tom Scudder said.

Recreational marijuana sales get off to quiet start in Colorado Springs

“The morning of April 15 was the first time we could legally operate,” said Scudder, who helped spearhead the campaign to legalize recreational pot sales in Colorado Springs.

“But we couldn’t take delivery on the product until then as well. So on our first day, we hadn’t received the product, we hadn’t labeled it, we hadn’t entered it into our system or put it on our shelves.”

As a result, many pot stores had to tell eager customers to come back either later on Tuesday, or to wait another day or two for their recreational marijuana.

The customers were back in force on Sunday.

“As you can see, we’re not lacking for business,” Scudder said.

El Paso County recreational marijuana shops reflect on Colorado Springs openings

Sunday’s celebrations came at a time when questions are being leveled at the marijuana industry over the health consequences of consuming the drug and its safety record as a product in Colorado.

A New York Times investigation, reprinted by The Gazette last year, explored how doctors are contending with the effects of an “explosion in the use of the drug and its intensity,” and concluded that “with more people consuming more potent cannabis more often, a growing number, mostly chronic users, are enduring serious health consequences.”

And a recent Gazette investigation, citing industry insiders and researchers, found that the Colorado industry is riddled with loopholes that allow consumers to be deceived about everything from the marijuana’s potency, to the prevalence of dangerous pesticides, solvents and mold.”

A spokesperson for the state’s Marijuana Enforcement Division said Colorado has “strong systems in place to audit and monitor licensed testing facilities’ processes and reporting of results, including annual audits at testing facilities by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.”

On Sunday, the Green Pharm waiting room was packed with medical and recreational users, and other stores around Colorado Springs were enjoying robust business as well. The vibe in and around those stores was more muted than at Green Pharm, but no less busy.

“It’s a pretty unusual 4/20,” Scudder said. “(The observance) has been around for years on the medical side. But this year it includes the recreational side as well.”

More than 20 recreational marijuana stores in Colorado Springs ready to begin sales Tuesday