Pubdate: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 Source: Colorado Springs Independent (CO) Column: CannaBiz Copyright: 2013 Colorado Springs Independent Contact: http://www.csindy.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1536 Author: Bryce Crawford CENTER OPENS ON THE WEST SIDE, ELECTION SPENDING AND MORE Hit the store Located just west of the downtown bridge, The 64 Store (502 W. Colorado Ave., the64store.net) came into being in early July - just in time to see Colorado Springs City Council opt out of Amendment 64 a few weeks later. "We opened the store, you know, with the name, in hopes that Colorado Springs would allow recreational sales," says manager Kate Penaloza with a laugh. "But unfortunately they didn't, so we're just another medical-marijuana dispensary with a funny name." That hasn't stopped the 64 Store - a sister to Cannabicare, which is also owned by Jeff and Julie Sveinsson and actually won this year's Best Of award for east-side dispensary - from bringing the bud. Patients can find around 10 strains currently, from White Master Kush to Neville's Abusive Wreck, but that number should double in the near future. House-made waxes and extracts are likewise on the way. Also find varied prices on edibles in the "very cute little store," as well as daily specials and a loyalty program that returns 10 percent for every $250 spent. "We're proud of the fact that we can bring the quality to the meds at a very fair price," says Penaloza. "A lot of stores have a whole lot of strains, and some of them are shitty and some of them are good. We just try to keep our quality all-good." Proposed spending The group pushing Proposition AA, the statewide tax measure voted on this week, vastly out-raised its opponents, the most recent campaign-finance reports reveal. As of Oct. 28, the Committee for Responsible Regulation raised $65,635, spending a large portion of that on consultants like RBI Strategies & Research ($14,000); Vicente Sederberg, LLC, co-authors of Amendment 64 ($10,000); and the Marijuana Policy Project's Steve Fox ($8,000). No Over Taxation, fronted by attorney Rob Corry, brought in $2,147 in cash, mostly spending it on office supplies and signage, likely to support its infamous joint giveaways at rallies in Denver and Boulder. Ultimately, the events generated a complaint from Colorado Ethics Watch, prompting the group to amend its filing with "what might be a first in campaign-finance history," says the Denver Post: an in-kind contribution of $1,250 worth of marijuana. Check our IndyBlog for results of the vote on Prop AA, as it comes after our print deadline. Keef crumbs Two notes from the Huffington Post: First, a poll conducted by the website in conjunction with yougov.com revealed that 26 percent of the 1,000 adults asked would at least purchase marijuana "rarely" if it was legal in their state. Second, a report authored by Steve Berg says that the 2013 marijuana market is worth $1.43 billion, with that number expected to jump to $2.34 billion next year. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom