--- title: 'Diagon Alley vs. Legal Pot: How Their Big Opening Days Match Up' description: A new theme park area in Orlando and marijuana stores in Washington state both opened for business for the first time on Tuesday. authors: - name: Brad Tuttle role: Senior Editor url: https://money.com/author/brad-tuttle/ bio: Brad Tuttle is a former senior editor at Money with over 10 years’ experience covering a vast number of personal finance topics, including careers, cars, travel, budgeting, investing, insurance, credit cards, consumer psychology, real estate, banking, and shopping and deals. education: Columbia University School of Journalism, MS at_money_since: 2014 articles: 366 covers: - Lifestyle - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology social: - https://twitter.com/bradrtuttle - https://linkedin.com/in/brad-tuttle-834b225 former_staff: true published: '2014-07-08T17:12:44.000Z' modified: '2024-04-16T03:57:52.000Z' section: Lifestyle tags: - diagon alley - gringotts - Harry Potter - legal marijuana - Leisure - Marijuana - Pot - pot stores - Theme Parks - Tourism - Travel - Universal Studios word_count: 342 canonical: https://money.com/diagon-alley-legal-pot-opening-day-comparison/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![A dragon breathes fire above The Wizarding World of Harry Potter-Diagon Alley during a media preview](https://img.money.com/2014/07/140707_em_diagonalleypot_1.jpg) *A dragon breathes fire above The Wizarding World of Harry Potter-Diagon Alley during a media preview at the Universal Orlando.* And that, perhaps surprisingly, is not the only thing they have in common. Here's how the two opening days match up: **BACK STORY** **Diagon Alley:** Followup to very successful launch of [Wizarding World of Harry Potter](https://time.com/2193/this-is-what-the-new-wizarding-world-of-harry-potter-theme-park-will-look-like/) theme park **WA Pot Shops:** Followup to very successful launch of [recreational marijuana sales in Colorado](https://time.com/19210/colorado-recreational-pot-purchases-add-2-million-to-state-revenue/) **IMPRESSIVE STATISTICS** **Diagon Alley:** Universal Studios says Diagon Alley will [double the size](https://media.universalorlando.com/PressRelease/HPdetail.aspx?id=44095&ct=27752&Src=tcm:70-38229-64) of its Wizarding World theme park area **WA Pot Shops:** Washington says it will collect [$190 million](http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/07/08/washington-state-pot-marijuana-sales/12349747/) in pot-related taxes and fees over the next four years **OPENING DAY WAIT TIME** **Diagon Alley:** Up to [300 minutes (a.k.a. five hours)](http://mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/on-the-town/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2014/7/8/diagon_alley_opening.html) for visitors to get inside the park on Tuesday **WA Pot Shops:** Up to one day—at least a couple [people waited in line overnight](http://www.washingtontimes.com/multimedia/image/ap_34ed4dbe9d68401a590f6a706700b12ajpg/) outside pot shops anticipating a Tuesday opening **RANGE OF PRICES** **Diagon Alley:** [$96 to $136](https://www.universalorlando.com/Theme-Park-Tickets/General-Admission.aspx) per adult **WA Pot Shops:** $12 to $25 per gram **CORE DEMOGRAPHIC** **Diagon Alley:** Anti-authoritarian fans of magic and fantasy **WA Pot Shops:** Pretty much the same **PERSON YOU MOST WANT TO AVOID** **Diagon Alley:** Know-it-all spewing theories about stuff like the pros and cons of *Half-Blood Prince* vs. *Order of the Phoenix* **WA Pot Shops:** Know-it-all spewing theories about stuff like the pros and cons of Cannalope Haze vs. Jamaican Lion **THING THAT WILL FREAK YOU OUT** **Diagon Alley:** Creepy animatronic goblins staring at you on [Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts](https://time.com/98224/harry-potter-gringotts-ride-universal-orlando/) ride **WA Pot Shops:** Creepy alive goblin-like customers staring at you—or at something—in front of the pot counter **RESTRICTIONS** **Diagon Alley:** Minimum height of 4 feet to ride Gringotts alone **WA Pot Shops:** Minimum age of 21 to purchase marijuana **WARNINGS** **Diagon Alley:** Many rides not recommended for women who are pregnant and people prone to nausea **WA Pot Shops:** Pretty much the same **MOST MEMORABLE THRILL** **Diagon Alley:** Trip on the Hogwarts Express **WA Pot Shops:** Trip on edible marijuana snacks like those ["enjoyed" by Maureen Dowd](https://time.com/2821722/morning-must-reads-june-4/) **WHAT'S SMOKING** **Diagon Alley:** Fire-breathing dragon atop the Gringotts ride **WA Pot Shops:** Pretty much everybody ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", 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