Dispensaries open as pot becomes legal in CO

By Ashley Curtin

NationofChange / News Report

Published: Thursday 2 January 2014

nationofchange.org

While the world celebrated the New Year, marijuana businesses in Colorado celebrated as they opened their doors to a regulated marijuana market for adults.

Yesterday marked the historical and legal sale of recreational marijuana to adults 21 years of age and older. Colorado not only became the first state to legalize the sale of marijuana to select dispensaries, the state’s government was the first to “control and regulate a legal recreational marijuana industry” in the world.

Amendment 64, which legalized the sale of recreational marijuana, was approved by Colorado voters in 2012 and the state worked quickly to “implement the laws allowing approved marijuana businesses to open on New Year’s Day,” according to The Huffington Post. And while the law will allow more than 300 dispensaries to operate legally, only a few dozen businesses completed the approval process in time to open yesterday. According to the Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED), which regulates the state’s recreational marijuana industry, the state anticipates many more marijuana businesses to open as they wait to receive their state and local licenses after going through rigorous audits and screenings in order to operate legally.

Dispensaries are allowed to sell up to an ounce of marijuana to Colorado residents of legal age and up to a one-quarter ounce to of-age tourists. 

In a historic first, Colorado lifted the ban that criminally prohibited the sale of recreational marijuana throughout the U.S. for the last 70 years. And as many people support the new law, the sale of recreational marijuana will help generate millions of dollars in revenue for the state after Colorado voters passed a 25 percent tax on the sale of recreational marijuana.

As many politicians see this as a success story, some are fretful that the legalization of recreational marijuana might increase crime and driving under the influence. MED will track the regulated marijuana industry in the coming years and said, “[…]If issues arise, we’ll talk about it and figure out how to do it better going forward.”

But Colorado’s new marijuana laws come with certain rules. To better inform people of them, the state set up an educational website, http://www.colorado.gov/marijuanainfodenver, listing important facts for residents and tourists.

With the New Year come new recreational marijuana laws for Colorado.