Colorado - Legal Marajuna

"Dispensaries" are marked and popped up all over. I don't notice them that often. I have a really hard time believing there are more than SBs and McD's. There are a LOT of SBs here.

I have a real hard time with medical MJ... it is all a joke. Only a very very small percentage of "patients" actually use it for legitimate medicinal reasons. The rest are just pot heads that can get a card for a hang nail. And "care givers"... my eyes will not roll as far as they need to on that one.

As far as legal weed, the bill passed, but this will not happen until 2015 when legislation is set up to regulate it. Everyone just assumed they could hit up the dispensary the next day.

I'm torn (and maybe a bit of a old fogy).

I see the argument for legalized weed, but at the same time, I kind of hate to see "my" state as the "pothead" state.  And I know plenty of people that abuse the current system there already.

Yeah, and get of my lawn and such...  I know.

When I go to Denver to test engines, I spend about 8 hours a day for 3 days driving down and back the length of Colfax.   About 90% of them are on Colfax.   You would think it would be boring driving up and down the same street all day.... not on Colfax!   (especially in a big truck.

I don't care what people do in their free time as long as they aren't DUI.  And if they're pouring money into the economy, so much the better.

It's not like they aren't smoking it already.

Here is a story that 60 minutes is going to do.. HERE

Ya... more that SBs and McDs combined by nearly THREE FOLD! 204 in Denver. That is crazy.

When we visited Denver last year my son wanted to go to the original Chipotle's.  So we sought it out and right next door was a medical marijuana shop.  I had a good laugh.

Location,location,location...

As for the issue itself I'm glad a state finally voted in favor.  Next up is going to be a big battle over state's rights.  Current federal law trumps state law.  Once CO wins this battle (and I think they will).  Other states are going to jump on the bandwagon.

My prediction, it's legal in most states in less than 10 years.  And we all know my predictions are spot on.

You know they want to hit 420...

That is the name of the chain that you have to franchise.  That is why some people have no idea the store is right there. 

My prediction is CO will get a big tourism boost out of this.

Well midicinal MJ is illegal too... all that happened here is they upheld the 1000 ft rule around schools. Some popped up next to schools and they were ordered to move.

The Feds won't come after this, and other states will jump on the band wagon.

Now all I care about is when the others will be legal too... or rather, when will the War on Drugs be ended and at least drug use decriminalized. If they are not flat out legal, then they should be treated much different in the legal system then they are right now.

We just started our annual benefits open enrollment, and as part of it we have to sign a Tobacco Use Affidavit.

I'm wondering how long it will be before employees in these states have to sign a similar one for pot use.

The driver behind legalizing weed is simple...

The jails are full, the court system is clogged up & backlogged, and the cops over-worked.  Too much time being spent on prosecuting and incarcerating minor offenders for personal use.  We've created an incarceration industry in this country where there's incentive to simply round up and put people in jail.  Real monetary incentive.

Whether you legalize it for small amounts for personal consumption or simply make it a misdemeanor with a minor fine.  The goal is to spend the time and energy in the police/legal/court/jail system on violent offenders and not be bothered with someone firing up a single blunt (if they're not driving anywhere).

I would rather have jails filled with violent criminals than have just one of them early parolled because they had to make room for a non-dealing, low-level, personal use stoner whose only true offense is buying up all the Cheetohs in the Quick-E-Mart.

I live in the city of Denver and yes, we've got a ton of dispensaries. They are pretty obvious on Colfax- perhaps they need to make themselves eye catching in such a competitive environment? Many blocks have more than one dispensary! But elsewhere, a lot of dispensaries are tastefully signed and blend in with the rest of the storefronts.

Medical marijuana has been legal in Colorado since 2000, but the regulations have been changed since it's inception, to allow "caregivers" to provide to more patients. The original legislation was five patients per caregiver- hardly a commercial operation. In 2007 a lawsuit was won that allowed caregivers to provide to as many patients as they want, which opened the doors to storefront dispensaries and the current marijuana industry.

Yes, it's very easy to get a card that allows you to buy weed. You have to pay an annual $100 (I think?) fee for the card.

I have a problem with people thinking that because weed is legal here, the entire state is a bunch of cheeto grubbing potheads. I think that shows how out of touch residents in other states are about marijuana. You don't walk down Denver city streets through plumes of smoke. My experience has been that people are respectful about their use and do it in their own homes and backyards. I am bothered more, out and about in the city, by cigarette smokers than I am by people using marijuana.

Many of my friends are card-carrying casual users, and the quality and selection of what they can buy has massively improved in the past few years. A friend from NYC was visiting a few months ago and he could not believe how good the weed here is, and how inexpensive it is. Some people treat it like wine- the soil it's grown in matters, the strain of plant matters, etc. And these friends of mine, they are productive members of society. They have good jobs, they are athletic and outdoorsy, they are active participants in the community. And they smoke weed.

I voted yes on amendment 64 because I think we as citizens stand to benefit more through legalizing and regulating marijuana than outlawing it and prosecuting those that buy and sell it. I realize that people's beliefs about the use of this particular drug will color their opinions heavily. Personally, I don't think it's that big a deal. Being in a city where it's used responsibly has certainly helped form my stance.

No, that's just wrong.  The police/legal/court/jail systems will fight to the end to keep it illegal...it's a HUGE cash cow.  Most people have no idea how much money is seized by the govt. (read police departments) with regard to marijuana sales.  Nobody cares about the weed......it's the money!

Also, it's a myth that there are personal use marijuana users clogging the jail/prison systems in this country.  That doesn't happen. 

Don't leave Washington out of the loop. We just legalized it too! I think we might even "go live" with it before Colorado. (I actually do not care either way, but Washington can get in on the federal legal battle as well. 2 states fighting is better than 1 fight alone methinks!)

Hmmm I have always wanted to see Washington.

The problem is, once it truly becomes legal (I think it should), the money will dry up pretty quick. The bottom will fall out of the market because it's easy to produce.  The tax windfall that everyone likes to point to won't happen because they use monetary values of today's market.  That $300.00 - $400.00 oz. of weed (yeah, you read that right if you have been out of the game for awhile) will be worth a small fraction of that price once it's legal.

As for drugs finding their way back into the system......it's very rare.  It happens, but not often.....now if you want to talk about money being taken and not ran through the proper channels....that's another deal.

Regarding the money that will result from this and how it will be used: there is a provision in the amendment that directs money towards public schools. Basically, the first $40 million of taxes raised frmo the sale of growers to distributers will go to public schools.  Schwing.

 (d) THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY SHALL ENACT AN EXCISE TAX TO BE LEVIED UPON MARIJUANA SOLD OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED BY A MARIJUANA CULTIVATION FACILITY TO A MARIJUANA PRODUCT MANUFACTURING FACILITY OR TO A RETAIL MARIJUANA STORE AT A RATE NOT TO EXCEED FIFTEEN PERCENT PRIOR TO JANUARY 1, 2017 AND AT A RATE TO BE DETERMINED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY THEREAFTER, AND SHALL DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT TO ESTABLISH PROCEDURES FOR THE COLLECTION OF ALL TAXES LEVIED. PROVIDED, THE FIRST FORTY MILLION DOLLARS IN REVENUE RAISED ANNUALLY FROM ANY SUCH EXCISE TAX SHALL BE CREDITED TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION ASSISTANCE FUND CREATED BY ARTICLE 43.7 OF TITLE 22, C.R.S., OR ANY SUCCESSOR FUND DEDICATED TO A SIMILAR PURPOSE. PROVIDED FURTHER, NO SUCH EXCISE TAX SHALL BE LEVIED UPON MARIJUANA INTENDED FOR SALE AT MEDICAL MARIJUANA CENTERS PURSUANT TO SECTION 14 OF THIS ARTICLE AND THE COLORADO MEDICAL MARIJUANA CODE.