Pubdate: Thu, 02 Jan 2014
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA)
Copyright: 2014 Washington Post
Contact:  http://www.philly.com/inquirer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/340
Author: Niraj Chokshi, Washington Post

LONG LINES GREET LEGAL SALE OF RECREATIONAL POT IN COLO.

DENVER - At 8 a.m. on New Year's Day, in an industrial area a few 
miles from downtown Denver, a Marine veteran named Sean Azzariti 
walked into a giant store and bought a bag of weed. Legally. To smoke 
just for fun, if he's so inclined.

Azzariti's transaction - 3.5 grams of Bubba Kush for $40 and 50 mg of 
Truffles for an additional $9.28 - was the first in the state's grand 
experiment in legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

The first-in-the-nation law was greeted with long lines at retailers 
and a lot of "Rocky Mountain High" jokes. But beyond the buzz, the 
measure represented the institution of a major new public policy in 
America - one opponents fear will turn the state into a dangerous 
land of debauchery and that backers hope sets a nationwide precedent.

If Colorado is able to successfully legalize marijuana without 
causing a social backlash, the tourism, tax and other considerations 
are likely to compel several other states to quickly follow suit.

Backers say enough signatures have been collected to put legalization 
before voters this year in Alaska. Oregon would probably come next, See page 6

 From page A1 and by 2016, they hope to see measures on the ballot in 
six other states: Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, 
and Nevada. Supporters are also hopeful that lawmakers will push for 
legalization in Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, New Hampshire, Rhode 
Island, and Vermont.

Washington state has legalized pot, but sales there won't begin for 
at least a few months.

If problems arise in Colorado - whether that means residents get sick 
of stoner -tourism or there are a rash of pot-related accidents or 
crimes - it could set back a decades-old movement that has gained 
substantial momentum in recent years.

Experts say there really is no way to know which way it will go. 
"Nobody on Earth has ever done this before," said Jonathan Caulkins, 
a drug policy expert and professor at Carnegie Mellon University.

Before Wednesday, the pro-marijuana movement's biggest breakthrough 
came in 1996, when California became the first state in modern 
history to allow marijuana use of any kind when it greenlit medicinal 
use. Now 20 states and the District of Columbia allow it.

Colorado has approved 136 licenses for retail sales, three-fourths in 
the city and county of Denver and all at sites that have been legally 
selling marijuana for medical purposes. Eighteen city stores had 
completed the full process in time to open Wednesday. State officials 
expect dozens more to open across the state, and some have estimated 
that pot sales could add more than $200 million to Colorado's economy.

Colorado residents 21 and older are allowed to buy up to an ounce of 
marijuana per transaction, and out-of-state customers are allowed to 
purchase up to a quarter-ounce.

Azzariti's involvement was not by chance. He was active in the 
campaign to legalize recreational sales and, although he can use the 
pot however he pleases, the veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars 
said he needs it to deal with posttraumatic stress disorder.

His purchase was the culmination of a large media event hosted by 
advocates and the industry. Dozens of reporters filled the 3D 
Cannabis Center for a 7:30 a.m. news conference as customers waited 
in line outside, where a light snow was falling. News releases were 
distributed, and advocates were on hand for interviews. Other stores 
welcomed press, too, with media handlers in tow.

Toni Fox, the owner of the 3D Cannabis Center, where Azzariti made 
his purchase, said she expects her average monthly revenue of $30,000 
to grow more than eightfold, to $250,000, once improvements are made.

Doors also opened 8 a.m. at Medicine Man, which boasts an even 
larger, 20,000-square-foot production space that the owners expect to double.

At Medicine Man, two nonresidents who bought the legal limit of a 
quarter-ounce of marijuana said it cost roughly $130. Prices are 
expected to remain high in the short term, with only a few retailers 
and a lot of demand. But over the long term, experts expect prices to 
fall with competition.

At Medicine Man, where the line Wednesday was as many as 75 deep by 
10 a.m., a security guard checking identification at the door 
estimated that well over half of the customers were from out of 
state. One customer, Kevin Schatz of Nebraska, said his 90-minute 
wait and the taxes paid were "well worth it."

Not everyone was celebrating Colorado's new marijuana reality.

"Today, we're witnessing the dawn of Big Marijuana, in a similar way 
that we had Big Tobacco for over 80 years," said Kevin Sabet, who 
cofounded Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) with former 
U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D., R.I.). "We're opening the doors to 
allowing a new, powerful industry to downplay the effects of a 
substance they will be profiting off of and to downplay the effects 
of addiction."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom