On January 1st, 2014, Colorado opened the first recreational marijuana shops to people from all over the United States. There were some who believed that this shift in marijuana laws would cause rioting in the streets, massive amounts of cannabis overdoses, and complete chaos. However, according to an article published in the Huffington Post, there were only four citations given out in the city of Denver during that first week. Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson told the Post "We've written four citations for public consumption since Jan. 1st and that's relatively small considering the number of people consuming right now."
When Colorado approved the ballot measure to allow the sale and purchase of recreational marijuana in 2012, it was the biggest step that the marijuana industry has taken in the history of the movement. Residents of Colorado are now allowed to purchase up to an ounce of cannabis and those from out of state are allowed to purchase up to a quarter, making Colorado the new hot spot for cannabis tourism in the US. The income from the first week of legalization is staggering, with revenue totaling at over $1 million in the first day, with the end of the week sales evening out at $5 million. These incredible numbers are mostly the result of the states 35% tax on the cannabis, as well as the individual taxes that the cities are allowed to add on. The Colorado Department of Revenue predicts that the state will bring in at least $70 million in this first year.
So what's the plan for these huge sums of money? Colorado is giving it right back to the residents. The first $40 million of the cannabis income will be spent on improving education for the children and the rest will be spent on bettering the marijuana regulation system. Not to mention that in addition to money earned, the state is saving money by not prosecuting any marijuana related crimes. The Colorado Center on Law and Policy set forth an estimate on what the state has saved by removing the criminal penalties. The statement said that anywhere from $12 to $40 million had been saved over the past year, seeing as how the state averaged 10,000 cannabis related arrests and citations over the past decade.
In addition to the incredible amounts of money, there are far less young people who's lives will be ruined by minor infractions relating to non-violent cannabis related "crimes". The Huffington Post also said that the legalization of recreational cannabis will also assist in the decrease of racial disparities, as places like Arapahoe County, where 35% of those charged with minor marijuana infractions were African American citizens. Denver statists show that African Americans were almost four times as likely to be arrested for low level cannabis possession, even though they're not shown to use marijuana more than white residents. The same goes for the Latino population, who were twice as likely to be arrested in the metro area despite the fact that marijuana use among Latino citizens is considerably less then blacks or whites, according to the Huffington Post. But with cannabis being legal, all of these people will be safe from all of these statistics as long as they are smart about their cannabis consumption.
Every 37 seconds there is someone arrested for a marijuana related offense, with the national average being around 750,000 arrests per year. With 90% of those arrested being tossed in jail for minor possession and not even cultivation or sale, it seems illogical to continue the war against cannabis. Add in the fact that police make more arrests for marijuana related offenses then all other violent crimes combined. Colorado has set the standard high for the legal cannabis market by distancing themselves for the waste of money, time, and other resources prosecuting people who aren't criminals and are just trying to enjoy themselves by lighting a plant on fire and inhaling.
With Colorado making such a huge impact on the cannabis community and the positive benefits that are radiating from the state, others are beginning to get the hint. There are many states that are currently working on their marijuana laws to allow legal marijuana for their residents, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine (where Portland has already legalized cannabis consumption for those over 21), Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New York (who is also taking steps that seem to lean towards a ban on tobacco products as well), Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington D.C., and Vermont. Later this year, Washington will also enjoy the benefits of legal cannabis and will also be allowing the sale to non-residents.
The cannabis industry is a blossoming, interesting, and extremely profitable business that a lot of people are itching to become a part of. The immense amounts of money made by the state of Colorado will only draw other states closer to legalizing the plant as well. Larger states especially are drawn towards the idea of legal cannabis because there is so much room for potential profit, even without the addition of tourism. Cannabis users everywhere can only keep their fingers crossed that things continue to go well in Colorado and that more states follow this incredibly beneficial business model. For now, everyone will continue to keep their eyes on Colorado to see where the marijuana industry goes from here.
