Pubdate: Sun, 06 Jul 2014
Source: Baltimore Sun (MD)
Copyright: 2014 The Baltimore Sun Company
Contact:  http://www.baltimoresun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37
Author: Daniel Wallis, Reuters
Page: 17
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?420 (Cannabis - Popular)

6 MONTHS LATER, COLO. SEES POT SMOKE BUT FEW FIRES

DENVER - At the Native Roots Apothecary, a discreet marijuana shop in 
Denver's busy 16th Street Mall, business is so brisk that customers 
are given a number to wait their turn.

There are young men in ball caps, nervous-looking professionals in 
suits, and the frail and elderly. Staff say customers have been 
flocking to their outlets since Colorado voted to allow recreational 
pot use for adults in January.

Six months on, Colorado's marijuana shops are mushrooming, with 
support from local consumers and weed tourists high and the federal 
government taking a wait-and-see attitude.

Tax dollars are pouring in, Denver crime is down and few concerns 
about social breakdown have materialized so far.

"The sky hasn't fallen, but we're a long way from knowing the 
unintended consequences," said Andrew Freedman, director of marijuana 
coordination for Colorado. "This is a huge social and economic question."

Denver has about 340 recreational and medicinal pot shops. In the 
first four months, marijuana sales amounted to more than $202 
million, with taxes from recreational sales almost $11 million. 
Despite some fears of a crime explosion, Denver police say burglaries 
and robberies were down 4 percent to 5 percent in the first four 
months of the year.

On the other hand, sheriff's deputies in neighboring Nebraska say pot 
seizures near the Colorado border have shot up 400 percent in three years.

Meanwhile, Washington state is approaching with some trepidation the 
launch this week of the nation's second recreational pot market.

Up to 20 retail marijuana stores are due to receive licenses Monday, 
fueling concerns about long lines, high prices and the possibility of 
inadequate supplies when doors open the following day.

Washington state officials have received 2,600 applications from 
would-be weed growers but say they have approved fewer than 80.

A recreational pot initiative will be on the ballot in Alaska this 
fall, and legalization bills look likely to pass in Oregon and the 
District of Columbia.

Although the Colorado law sanctioned pot sales only to those older 
than 21, one of the biggest concerns is the effect on teens.

Even before recreational sales began, rates of marijuana use among 
eighth-graders were much higher in Colorado than in other states, 
noted Gina Carbone, a co-founder of Smart Colorado, a nonprofit aimed 
at informing young people.

"A lot of people that even voted for (legalization) are saying, ' 
Gosh, I didn't know it was going to look like this.' "

Still, 20 recent sting operations have failed to catch any shops 
selling to people younger than 21.

Native Roots sells cannabis in childproof plastic containers priced 
at about $60 for one-eighth of an ounce as well as pot-infused 
cookies, candy and e-cigarettes. "This will help your pain," salesman 
Rob Folse told an older woman with a cane. "We're giving you a 
discount, dear, because we understand your situation."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom