Tourists are flocking to the Rocky Mountains. They are flooding the state by car, flying in from all over the United States and even from Europe. Are they here to ski? Not quite! The reason tourists are inundating the state is that recreational marijuana is for sale.
On January 1, 2014, the first day stores began to sell recreational marijuana, the lines were long. How long? Would you be willing to stand in line and wait more than three hours in sub-freezing temperatures? If you wanted to buy weed, you might.
Despite stocking up on supply, many stores ran out completely. Within two hours of opening, all stores began limiting the amount each customer could buy. It was lunacy, but not bedlam. Patrons were calm and orderly despite the long wait, cold temperatures and limited quantities.
Just how well legal marijuana will go in Colorado remains to be seen. It was estimated that more than $5 million worth of weed was sold in the first three days alone. And this is from the 20 or so stores that held a license to sell it.
We will continue to monitor the situation in Colorado. Will this be an experiment that fails? Is this a long-term solution to financial woes? Will the state see a dramatic increase in overall drug use and abuse? Only time will tell and we will be here.