Marijuana tourism is not a mainstream outlet for tourism nationwide — at least not yet. Where it has been incorporated, however, it has turned into a lucrative business.

Colorado and Washington became the first two states in the U.S. to legalize recreational marijuana, and now they're reaping the benefits. In Colorado, sales in legal marijuana hit $700 million last year — $313 million of which came from recreational purposes.

Colorado state Sen. Pat Steadman (D-Denver) said he is "feeling very encouraged by what we're seeing so far. Everyone keeps calling this 'Colorado's experiment with marijuana legalization,' but so far everything seems to be working better than planned. ... Right now we're still rolling things out, but it just seems to be rolling out smoother than anyone expected."

Since the legalization of marijuana in January 2014, tours specifically catering to the drug have spiked across the state. My 420 Tour is just one of the companies to emerge since the legalization. One of their tours consists of allowing tourists to legally partake in the drug while visiting dispensaries and facilities that grow the plant.

"It's been very interesting to see the type of people who come to our tours," says JJ Walker, the CEO of My 420 Tours. "I first thought it was going to be a bunch of 20-somethings looking to get high, but most of our clients are actually over 40. Some have been saving for a long time, others have never tried it."

Tours are not the only ones creating a niche in this market — the hospitality industry has also taken notice.

Bud and Breakfast describes itself as an Airbnb marijuana-friendly lodging. The website pairs guests with homeowners who allow tourists to partake in legal marijuana usage.

"We're providing a safe, legal place to smoke for cannabis users," said Sean Roby, founder, shortly after the site went live for bookings. "When people come in from other states, it's a huge deal. You're blown away that you can go in and buy, but then what do you next?"

Colorado hotels may not promote themselves as marijuana-friendly establishments, but each hotel does come up with its own rules on how to accommodate pot smokers. Some hotels have designated areas for smoking while some do not at all.

The Nativ actually welcomes it. Nativ, the first weed-friendly hotel, recently opened in Denver.

"The charm of Nativ Hotel is that the owners are in the business," said Richard Meyer, who is an owner, partner and investor in a number of cannabis-related ventures. "We embrace the culture, we embrace the industry, we embrace the plant and everything that's coming with it."

It is hard to tell exactly how much of an influence pot is toward tourism. The Colorado Tourism Office does not track the number of visitors who come to the state specifically for marijuana, nor does it promote the industry.

A study conducted by the Marijuana Policy Group found that tourists account for nearly half of recreational sales in the Denver area and 90 percent in the mountain communities.

Washington, the second state to legalize marijuana, has also seen its fair share of the advantages the pot industry provides for tourism. According to the Washington State Liquor Board, over $1.2 million in recreational marijuana is sold each day.

However, tourism expectations have not been as high as Colorado. According to Hotels.com, hotel searches in Seattle were up 29 percent for the city and only 11 percent for the state through the first seven months since recreational legalization took place in July 2014.

"Marijuana tourism is not as strong in Washington state," Hopper reports. "Travelers have not been flocking to Seattle the way they did to Denver."

The research firm found that traveling to Washington was actually down since legal pot sales started on July 8, 2014. Similar to Colorado, Washington does not promote nor keep track of visitors who come only to partake.

"We don't have the same data that we have about wine tourism or LGBT tourism," said David Blandford, vice president of communications for Visit Seattle. "Nor are we able to detect that there's this untapped market."

Hotels in the state also are hesitant in promoting themselves as 420-friendly.

"We as an industry haven't figured out how to deal or get on board with marijuana tourism," David Watkins, president of the Seattle Hotel Association, told The Seattle Times. "As far as marijuana goes, it's just wait and see."

The hesitation from bigger tourism sectors hasn't stopped startup businesses from promoting pot to tourists. Kush Tourism is a startup company that provides not only tours but also 420-friendly lodging and rents out high-end vaporizers to visitors.

"You can get stoned anywhere in this country," said Kush Tourism founder Chase Nobles. "Our tour's more about education ... we take you to see something you can't otherwise see."

Other states are joining Colorado, Washington and Alaska on the marijuana bandwagon. Oregon will be the fourth state to legalize recreational marijuana beginning July 1, and plans for pot tourism are developing there.

"Tourism will be part of this new marijuana economy," said Tom Towslee, a spokesman for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC). "Just exactly what that's going to look like remains to be seen."

Even though recreational usage will begin next month, growers won't be able to obtain licenses from the OLCC until early 2016. Storefronts retailers will have to wait until the later part of 2016 to obtain their licenses.

Another state looking towards legalizing marijuana is Nevada. Currently, tourists with medical marijuana cards from their home state can buy pot while visiting Las Vegas and other Nevada cities. The state may look to voters next year to legalize recreational marijuana.

Lawmakers have toured Colorado to see how the marijuana industry can be beneficial to their economy.

"Colorado's doing well with it," Nevada Republican Assemblywoman Michele Fiore said. "They are letting people be personally responsible for their actions."