cannabisnews.com: Colorado Sets Standard for Marijuana Regulation
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Colorado Sets Standard for Marijuana Regulation
Posted by CN Staff on January 16, 2015 at 07:37:48 PT
By Gary Ross
Source: Denver Post 
Denver -- As Oregon and Alaska gear up to implement the will of their voters to legalize recreational cannabis use, they would be well served to look to Colorado for guidance. After years of hearings and task force meetings, Colorado has created a sound template for regulating the retail cannabis industry. It simultaneously balances the need to ensure public safety and creates free market conditions allowing the industry to thrive. While there is still work to be done in certain areas, we are on a solid path forward. This historic feat was accomplished, in part, because government leaders avoided the temptation to regulate in a bubble — instead, they actively welcomed industry input on the rules that shaped how Colorado's foray into cannabis legalization would play out. That collaboration continues to this day, resulting in a set of industry regulations that can nimbly address the unforeseen needs of this market.
All eyes were on Colorado at the beginning of 2014, as the first legal sales of non-medical marijuana in the United States to adults 21 years or older happened in Denver. While just a handful of retail stores opened that day, there are now more than 300 statewide. There's a total of about 750 retail and medical stores now. Colorado collected more than $36 million in tax revenue (through October) on the sale of $121.6 million worth marijuana. As far as jobs, there were 5,492 people licensed to work in a cannabis business at the end of 2013. Colorado's Marijuana Enforcement Division issued 18,666 licenses to workers by September. That doesn't include job growth in industries supporting cannabis, like construction, lighting and security companies.With two additional states and Washington, D.C., approving full adult-use legalization in November, and at least six other states pursuing adult-use legislation in 2016, industry analysts are predicting $8 billion in cannabis sales nationwide by 2018. Many will rightly look to Colorado as the gold standard for cannabis industry regulation. SnippedComplete Article: http://drugsense.org/url/NtrwdloXSource: Denver Post (CO)Author: Gary RossPublished: January 14, 2015Copyright: 2015 The Denver Post Website: http://www.denverpost.com/Contact: openforum denverpost.comCannabisNews   -- Cannabis  Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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Comment #4 posted by devohawk on January 19, 2015 at 18:52:49 PT
Colorado has done many things right
In Colorado, an adult can grow at home legally and that's great. Any adult can buy the seeds at cannabis shops in any number. You have to be from Colorado to buy the clones. I think being able to grow your own cannabis is the gold standard. Colorado has more edibles than I would have imagined possible as well as wax and shatter. The black market does thrive and you can find people who are regulars on Craigslist who will meet you in a fast food parking lot.I think the current black market will continue to put pressure on cannabis shops to lower prices. The prices at cannabis shops are less than what one would pay in Kansas. 
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Comment #3 posted by The GCW on January 17, 2015 at 05:56:31 PT
First and foremost it's LEGAL.
No matter how You look at it, it's legal. I don't care what anyone says about adults growing and selling cannabis responsibly, like tomatoes... outside of the regulated system... call it black market, to Me there's nothing wrong with that. In fact that's a tool to help control government from overzealous taxes being applied.Gold standard or not, here in Colorado You can use / grow / purchase cannabis and not be caged!And that's God-awesome except that it should be the norm and nothing noteworthy. Then realize this is new & dynamic w/ rapid changes occurring. Cannabis laws will by different in 10 years.
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Comment #2 posted by Matthew58 on January 17, 2015 at 04:20:34 PT:
Gold Standard
Be thankful that it's now legal there and elsewhere. They're trying.
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Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on January 16, 2015 at 12:38:13 PT
gold standard?
if this is the gold standard then we've got serious problems.  The black market is still thriving and reportedly has a market share of 75% or more in Colorado.the self-congratulatory gold standard is a gold failure
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