Pubdate: Mon, 09 Dec 2013
Source: Time Magazine (US)
Copyright: 2013 Time Inc
Contact:  http://www.time.com/time/magazine
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/451
Author: Katy Steinmetz

WILL COLORADO HAVE ENOUGH POT STORES TO MEET DEMAND?

Sales of recreational marijuana begin in three weeks, and lawmakers
fear that demand will dwarf supply

Growth technician Mike Lottman moves through the marijuana plants in a
medical marijuana center in Denver, April 2, 2012.

Call it Black Wednesday. Recreational marijuana goes on sale legally
in Colorado on Jan. 1, and Denver officials are worried that the
city's retail shops won't be anywhere close to meeting demand.

At a city-council meeting Monday, lawmakers in Colorado's largest city
raised questions about licensing delays and the prospect of people
queuing up for hours in what have been historically low
temperatures.

"If we have 10 stores open =C2=85 we could have people camping out
overnight with cash in their pocket," said councilman Charlie Brown.
"How is the industry, how is the police department going to work together
?"

Though more than 100 stores are waiting to have applications approved
by the city and state, a process that involves multiple inspections
and a public hearing, a small fraction of that number are likely to be
open by 8 a.m., Jan. 1, when legal sales for recreational marijuana
begin. Employees from the city's department of excise and licenses
estimated that Denver will have around 12 legal retail outlets in operati
on.

City officials are worried about the ability of those stores to handle
the expected crowds, which they said will be supplemented by marijuana
tourists arriving on chartered buses. Security is also a concern, as
marijuana can only be purchased with cash.

A representative from the medical-marijuana industry said he knows
Denver is going to be under enormous scrutiny on New Year's Day. "It's
very true that the whole world is watching," said Michael Elliott, who
noted that shoppers may be confused when they're turned away from the
vast majority of medical-marijuana dispensaries that aren't licensed
to sell recreational pot. "It's very intense right now."

After voters approved a measure to legalize marijuana in November
2012, Colorado spent the next six months developing regulations for
consumption - dealing with advertising restrictions, childproof
packaging, THC-limits and rules for driving while high. "Clearly we
are charting new territory. Other states haven't been through this
process," Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said in May.
"Recreational marijuana is really a completely new entity."

Seven months later, lawmakers are still deep in the weeds. "It's pure
cloth," Denver councilman Albus Brooks tells TIME. "We're starting
from scratch."

Brooks introduced a measure on Monday that would decriminalize
possession for adults ages 18 to 20, which was approved by a special
committee focused on marijuana issues. The committee also killed a
bill that would have made it illegal to openly smoke pot on private
property within 1,000 ft. of any school, with opponents comparing
smoking a joint to drinking a beer on a front porch.

Among the measures the council approved Monday was one its president
called a "seminal" piece of marijuana legislation outlining procedural
nuts and bolts like making it illegal to consume weed on the city's
tourist-heavy 16th Street Mall and banning "pot giveaways" in public
parks. Then they moved on to the next item before them: revamping
zoning codes to deal with growing marijuana. After being approved by
the council, bills must still be signed by the mayor.

"In 22 days, whether you like it or not, the image of our city will
change," Brown said. "And if we need to make adjustments we will. This
is not the end. This is, frankly, the beginning."
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