Pubdate: Fri, 27 Dec 2013
Source: Durango Herald, The (CO)
Copyright: 2013 The Durango Herald
Contact: http://durangoherald.com/write_the_editor/
Website: http://durangoherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/866
Author: Joe Hanel Herald

HANDFUL OF POT STORES TO MAKE HISTORY JAN. 1

State to Allow Sales; 3 Shops Set to Open in Telluride

Denver, CO - Early in the morning on New Year's Day, someone in 
Colorado - probably in Denver - will purchase the world's first 
government-approved, over-the-counter recreational marijuana.

Not even in Amsterdam, where people have been buying pot in "coffee 
shops" for three decades, is the retail sale of marijuana fully legal 
and licensed.

Washington state and Uruguay also have legalized marijuana, but their 
first retail sales will not happen until later next year.

"It'll actually be fully legal in Colorado, at least under state law, 
whereas in the Netherlands, it's just tolerated," said Ethan 
Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, which 
advocates for marijuana legalization.

Of course, people have been buying pot legally in Colorado and other 
states for more than a decade, thanks to medical marijuana laws. And 
a number of cities, states and countries have decriminalized the 
possession of marijuana. But Colorado will be the first to allow 
retail sales without a prescription, making it nearly as easy to pick 
up a joint as a bottle of wine.

On Friday, Adam Raleigh, owner of Telluride Bud Co., was busy hanging 
new signs and sorting his inventory into the state's new online 
tracking system. He plans to be open no later than 10 a.m. New Year's Day

"The novelty of being able to buy legal weed is going to bring a lot 
of people into Telluride on Jan 1," he said.

Raleigh has gotten emails from people in Texas, California, Wyoming 
and elsewhere from people who want to make a special trip, and he has 
been interviewed by British and French newspapers. Other stores in 
town have been contacted by CNN and MSNBC, he said.

It won't be a celebratory day for Diana Carlson, a founder of Smart 
Colorado, a group that argues against liberalization of drug laws.

Opponents who attended public hearings in Denver haven't been able to 
prevent the city from allowing stores to open, she said.

"Legalization does not need to mean full-blown commercialization," 
Carlson said.

She worries that cities like Denver are rushing to license stores 
before protections are in place to keep pot away from children. A 
medical study at Children's Hospital Colorado found that after the 
state started to allow medical marijuana sales, more kids went to the 
emergency room after unwittingly eating pot-infused cookies and brownies.

Carlson is also worried about highly potent marijuana concentrates.

"I don't think marijuana concentrates are legal anywhere in the world 
besides Colorado," Carlson said.

Anyone in Southwest Colorado who wants to be first in line for legal 
pot will have to take a long drive. Telluride is the only town in the 
region that has issued licenses for stores to open on New Year's Day.

The town issued three conditional licenses at a hearing Monday, and 
after a final inspection, Town Attorney Kevin Geiger expects the 
stores to be ready to go.

All three are currently operating a medical marijuana dispensary, and 
Telluride Town Manager Greg Clifton doesn't expect many changes after Jan 1.

"We really haven't had issues here. I just think it's going to be 
more of the same," Clifton said.

The Durango City Council adopted a moratorium on recreational pot 
sales until June 30. La Plata County commissioners put in a 
moratorium until the end of 2014.

Only existing medical marijuana dispensaries were allowed to apply 
for the first round of recreational pot licenses. Businesses need 
approval from both the state and their local government before they can open.

The state mailed out 348 licenses Monday, including 136 for stores. 
Although state licenses went to stores in 24 different jurisdictions, 
the overwhelming majority, 102 stores, are in Denver. Most of the 
state-licensed stores are not expected to be open Jan 1 because they 
still need local government approval.

"We understand that Colorado is under a microscope. We think we've 
done a good job preparing for Jan 1," said Jack Finlaw, Gov John 
Hickenlooper's chief legal counsel.

Marijuana activists expect anywhere between five and 12 stores to be 
open in Denver on New Year's Day. Stores are also set to open in the 
Denver suburbs of Edgewater, Glendale and Wheat Ridge, plus Pueblo 
County, said Mike Elliott of the Medical Marijuana Industry Group.

In addition, marijuana lawyer Brian Vicente expects to see stores in 
the Front Range mountain towns of Frisco, Central City, Idaho Springs 
and Breckenridge.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom