{"id":9991,"date":"2023-12-31T13:08:59","date_gmt":"2023-12-31T13:08:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/?p=5905476"},"modified":"2023-12-31T13:08:59","modified_gmt":"2023-12-31T13:08:59","slug":"the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade\/","title":{"rendered":"The first 10 years of legal marijuana in Colorado were a wild ride. What will happen in the next decade?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<p>The world\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2014\/01\/01\/worlds-first-legal-recreational-marijuana-sales-begin-in-colorado\/\">first legal sale of recreational marijuana<\/a> happened in Denver on Jan. 1, 2014. In fact, it happened twice.<\/p>\n<p>Mason Tvert was managing the onslaught of media that descended on the Mile High City to witness the historic moment, set in motion by the successful legalization campaign he\u2019d led. So many camera crews and reporters showed up that morning that Tvert decided to rotate two groups through the dispensary\u2019s sales floor \u2014 with each transaction\u00a0billed as the first time anyone 21 or older could legally buy weed simply by walking into a store, showing ID and paying for it, no doctor\u2019s note necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Cannabis enthusiasts also flocked to downtown Denver that day. Lines outside the new rec stores stretched down city blocks. Buyers exited with purchases in hand, holding them overhead like victory trophies. Rumors even swirled that some stores had sold out, only adding to the fervor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was wild,\u201d Tvert recalls.<\/p>\n<p>Monday\u2019s anniversary of the first sales marks a decade since the state inaugurated its new recreational marijuana industry and stepped into the international limelight as a sometimes-reluctant trailblazer. Colorado voters\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2012\/11\/06\/coloradans-say-yes-to-recreational-use-of-marijuana\/\">passage of Amendment 64<\/a> in November 2012, less than 14 months earlier, had launched the state on a journey without a roadmap \u2014 forcing regulators to write the blueprint for overseeing the new market, local communities to choose whether they were in or out, and politicians who\u2019d opposed the voter initiative to lead its implementation.<\/p>\n<p>That industry has since raked in more than $15 billion in sales over its first decade, delivering a boon to the state\u2019s economy. The success of Colorado\u2019s tightly regulated system has helped reshape the public\u2019s perception of cannabis and ignited a cascade of reforms across the country.<\/p>\n<p>Today Colorado\u00a0is hardly an outlier. In November, Ohio\u2019s voters made it the 24th state to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes. Now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/53-percent-of-americans-now-live-in-a-legal-marijuana-state-report-from-former-federal-officials-firm-shows\/\">just over half of Americans<\/a> live in states where cannabis is legal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of the opponents told us the sky would fall and the state would collapse \u2014 it didn\u2019t,\u201d said Skyler McKinley, who served as deputy director of Colorado\u2019s Office of Marijuana Coordination during the first three years of legalization. \u201cI think Colorado succeeded in making marijuana boring.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Boring was hardly the watchword a decade ago. Colorado had the legal cannabis marketplace all to itself for six exhilarating months \u2014 distinguishing Denver and the state as an early <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2015\/12\/09\/marijuana-has-huge-influence-on-colorado-tourism-state-survey-says-2\/\">marijuana tourism hot spot<\/a> \u2014 before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2014\/07\/08\/washington-legal-marijuana-sales-get-underway\/\">pot sales in Washington started in July 2014<\/a>. That state\u2019s voters had legalized marijuana in the same election in November 2012, but its rollout was slower.<\/p>\n<p>Advocates find it hard to overstate Colorado\u2019s impact as the first domino to fall when it came to legal sales.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5907354\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed\"><img class=\"lazyautosizes lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade.jpg\" alt=\"Customers wait in line to enter LoDo Wellness in Denver, which by noon had given out more than 600 entrance tickets on the first day of retail sales of recreational marijuana in Colorado on Jan. 1, 2014. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)\" width=\"3600\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"5907354\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade.jpg 620w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-CD02POTLEGAL__AO10234.jpg?w=800&amp;crop=0%2C41px%2C100%2C450px&amp;ssl=1 800w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-CD02POTLEGAL__AO10234.jpg?w=1040&amp;crop=0%2C54px%2C100%2C585px&amp;ssl=1 1040w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-CD02POTLEGAL__AO10234.jpg?w=1280&amp;crop=0%2C66px%2C100%2C720px&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Customers wait in line to enter LoDo Wellness in Denver, which by noon had given out more than 600 entrance tickets on the first day of retail sales of recreational marijuana in Colorado on Jan. 1, 2014. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Morgan Fox has spent years lobbying for changes in drug policy on the federal level as political director for the <a href=\"https:\/\/norml.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws<\/a> (NORML). Before 2014, politicians, flooded with a range of perceptions and stereotypes, had trouble visualizing what a regulated cannabis market might look like \u2014 or even how it would take shape.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor a very, very long time, we would get laughed out of a lot of offices trying to talk about this issue,\u201d Fox said. Once Colorado showed how a legal market could work, \u201cit definitely allowed us to make conversations with federal lawmakers a lot more realistic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Alongside the expansion of recreational legalization, residents in 38 states now have access to medicinal cannabis in some form. Yet cannabis enthusiasts admit there\u2019s still a long way to go to fully normalize a plant that long was demonized and criminalized, especially by the decades-long war on drugs that gained steam during President Richard Nixon\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n<p>Advocates say the stigma still associated with cannabis has led to over-regulation that\u2019s cutting into already-thin margins. Sales have decreased and prices have fallen since the pandemic, causing worry that business may become impractical without changes to state and federal laws.<\/p>\n<p>Pot remains federally illegal, classified as a Schedule I drug under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov\/schedules\/#:~:text=Schedule%20I%20Controlled%20Substances&amp;text=Some%20examples%20of%20substances%20listed,methylenedioxymethamphetamine%20(%22Ecstasy%22).\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Controlled Substances Act<\/a>. That means it is considered by the U.S. government to have no accepted medical use as well as a high potential for abuse, alongside drugs such as heroin and LSD.<\/p>\n<p>The absence of federal legalization leaves Colorado\u2019s cannabis industry operating in an amorphous gray area, said\u00a0Ricardo Baca, a longtime legal marijuana proponent and former Denver Post reporter who helped launch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/\">The Cannabist<\/a> website in 2013.<\/p>\n<p>At times, the unpredictability has kept businesses on their heels. In 2018, early in President Donald Trump\u2019s administration, the legal pot landscape in the state was thrown into disarray when Attorney General Jeff Sessions <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecannabist.co\/2018\/01\/04\/jeff-sessions-rescinding-legalized-marijuana-policy\/95875\/\">briefly directed federal prosecutors to crack down<\/a> on the legal trade.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is an absence of federal regulation and oversight of an industry that desperately needs it,\u201d said Baca, now the CEO of Grasslands, a marketing agency with a roster of cannabis business clients.<\/p>\n<p>But things are slowly changing. In August, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended that the Drug Enforcement Administration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2023\/08\/30\/cannabis-marijuana-drug-enforcement-classification\/\">downgrade marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III<\/a>, classifying it alongside anabolic steroids, testosterone and ketamine \u2014 and loosening federal scrutiny. And in late December, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/biden-marijuana-pardons-clemency-02abde991a05ff7dfa29bfc3c74e9d64\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">President Joe Biden pardoned thousands of people for marijuana crimes<\/a>, his second round of pardons for federal charges.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5907348\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline\"><img class=\"lazyautosizes lazyloading\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-1.jpg\" alt=\"At midnight, Shyloh Rose, third from right, holds up a bag of cannabis in his right hand with friends as they celebrate not only the new year but the beginning of the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado, while thousands of people celebrated the new year on the 16th Street Mall in Denver in the first seconds of Jan. 1, 2014. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson\/ The Denver Post)\" width=\"4928\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-1.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"5907348\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-1.jpg 620w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-cd01NEWYEARS_DSC_7198.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 780w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-cd01NEWYEARS_DSC_7198.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 810w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-cd01NEWYEARS_DSC_7198.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1280w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-cd01NEWYEARS_DSC_7198.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1860w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At midnight, Shyloh Rose, third from right, holds up a bag of cannabis in his right hand with friends as they celebrate not only the new year but the beginning of the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado, while thousands of people celebrated the new year on the 16th Street Mall in Denver in the first seconds of Jan. 1, 2014. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson\/ The Denver Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>Colorado \u201chad to imagine an entire industry from scratch\u201d<\/h4>\n<p>While attitudes have demonstrably shifted on the national level, helping to clarify the future of legal weed in Colorado, a mere decade ago things were very different. When voters decided to forge a path toward recreational legalization, the move was seen as radical \u2014 not just nationally, but across the globe \u2014 despite the state having legalized medical cannabis in 2000.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cColorado didn\u2019t have a playbook to work from \u2014 it had to imagine an entire industry from scratch,\u201d said Truman Bradley, executive director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanaindustrygroup.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Marijuana Industry Group<\/a>, a Colorado trade association.<\/p>\n<p>Then-Gov. John Hickenlooper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2012\/09\/12\/colorado-gov-john-hickenlooper-opposes-marijuana-legalization-measure\/\">was outspoken in his opposition<\/a> to Amendment 64 in 2012, and so was Denver\u2019s mayor at the time, Michael Hancock. Their worries echoed opponents who warned the move would increase drug use among youth. The Denver Post\u2019s editorial board also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2012\/10\/12\/editorial-amendment-64-is-the-wrong-way-to-legalize-marijuana\/\">urged readers to vote against the measure<\/a> because of the conflicts it would cause between state and federal laws.<\/p>\n<p>But Amendment 64\u2019s proponents touted marijuana as safer than alcohol and promised <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cde.state.co.us\/communications\/2021marijuanarevenue#:~:text=to%20all%20districts-,Building%20Excellent%20Schools%20Today%20(BEST),buildings%20or%20construct%20new%20buildings.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tens of thousands of dollars in tax revenue to support schools<\/a> and other civic expenses.<\/p>\n<p>The measure passed with about 55% of the vote.<\/p>\n<p>In the years that followed, McKinley was in the thick of the chaos at the state\u2019s marijuana coordination office, dodging and weaving as a new industry took form and regulations were put in place. State officials may not have had a playbook, but they did take lessons from earlier mistakes with medical marijuana \u2014 including building a meticulous seed-to-sale inventory-tracking system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were stood up in 2014 to handle any unforeseen issues that would, and in fact did, arise as the commercial market started,\u201d said McKinley, who now directs public affairs for AAA Colorado.<\/p>\n<p>While Colorado experienced inevitable hiccups, he said, the sector today is, for the most part, just another industry helping to power the state\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n<p>Even advocates initially underestimated the industry\u2019s potential.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5907407\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter size-article_fullbleed\"><img class=\"lazyautosizes lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-2.jpg\" alt=\"LEFT: Two of the first customers inside, Owen Provorse, left, and Eric Raubach, check out the strains that are available for them to purchase on the first day of recreational marijuana sales in Colorado at High Country Healing in Silverthorne on Jan. 1, 2014. (Photo by Kathryn Scott Osler\/The Denver Post) RIGHT: Danielle Hackett sells cannabis to a customer at BotanaCare 21+ in Northglenn on January 01, 2014. The retail marijuana center opened to a line of people at 9am. (Photo by Craig F. Walker\/The Denver Post)\" width=\"8746\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-2.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"5907407\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-2.jpg 620w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/first-day-cannabis-sales-2014-dp.jpg?w=800&amp;crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C450px&amp;ssl=1 800w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/first-day-cannabis-sales-2014-dp.jpg?w=1040&amp;crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C585px&amp;ssl=1 1040w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/first-day-cannabis-sales-2014-dp.jpg?w=1280&amp;crop=0%2C0px%2C100%2C720px&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">LEFT: Two of the first customers inside, Owen Provorse, left, and Eric Raubach, check out the strains that are available for them to purchase on the first day of recreational marijuana sales in Colorado at High Country Healing in Silverthorne on Jan. 1, 2014. (Photo by Kathryn Scott Osler\/The Denver Post) RIGHT: Danielle Hackett sells cannabis to a customer at BotanaCare 21+ in Northglenn on January 01, 2014. The retail marijuana center opened to a line of people at 9am. (Photo by Craig F. Walker\/The Denver Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Weed-hungry customers spent more than $683 million on marijuana in 2014, the inaugural year of retail sales. Rec sales accounted for just 44% of all pot purchases initially but soon would dwarf sales of medical marijuana. In 2021, the industry saw its highest sales year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2022\/02\/10\/colorado-marijuana-cannabis-record-sales-2021\/#:~:text=Colorado's%20marijuana%20industry%20can%20celebrate,over%20%242.22%20billion%20in%20sales.\">raking in more than $2.2 billion<\/a>, with retail sales accounting for 82% of that.<\/p>\n<p>In October, sales statewide <a href=\"https:\/\/cdor.colorado.gov\/data-and-reports\/marijuana-data\/marijuana-sales-reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">surpassed $15 billion since legalization<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5907781\" class=\"wp-caption alignright size-article_inline_half\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/marijuana_sales_chart.png\"><img width=\"826\" class=\"lazyload\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade.png\" data-attachment-id=\"5907781\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade.png 620w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/marijuana_sales_chart.png?fit=310%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 310w\" alt=\"Click to enlarge\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Click to enlarge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The state has collected about $2.6 billion in <a href=\"https:\/\/cdor.colorado.gov\/data-and-reports\/marijuana-data\/marijuana-tax-reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tax and fee revenue<\/a> since 2014, with a portion of proceeds from its 15% retail marijuana sales tax shared with local governments \u2014 some of which, like Denver, collect their own marijuana taxes. The money has supported projects in the municipalities where the industry operates, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2018\/11\/17\/edgewater-marijuana-civic-library-police\/\">a government complex in Edgewater<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/kdvr.com\/news\/local\/aurora-set-to-open-41-9m-first-of-its-kind-facility-funded-through-marijuana-tax\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a recreation center in Aurora<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Those dollars have also helped <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2018\/12\/27\/colorado-marijuana-tax-dollars-schools\/\">fund school construction<\/a>, as was required by the language embedded in Amendment 64.<\/p>\n<p>And retail and medical cannabis sustained 40,000 jobs at the industry\u2019s peak a couple of years ago, Bradley said, though that number has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2023\/05\/21\/colorado-cannabis-marijuana-weed-dispensaries-downturn\/\">dropped by around 25%<\/a> due to recent growing pains experienced by the industry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs it stands now, these jobs can\u2019t be outsourced to China or anywhere else,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>But the industry and state government still are grappling with how to retroactively undo harms from the war on drugs through social equity efforts. Wanda James, a Black cannabis pioneer in Colorado who owns <a href=\"https:\/\/simplypure.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Simply Pure dispensary<\/a> in northwest Denver, lauds the concept, which includes prioritizing people who were targeted and disproportionately impacted by criminal drug laws for retail, delivery or hospitality licenses.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5907296\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline\"><img class=\"lazyautosizes lazyloading\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-3.jpg\" alt=\"Simply Pure dispensary owner Wanda James at her shop in Denver on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023. (Photo by Andy Cross\/The Denver Post)\" width=\"6729\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-3.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"5907296\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-3.jpg 620w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-SIMPLY-WANDA-JAMES_DSC1567.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 780w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-SIMPLY-WANDA-JAMES_DSC1567.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 810w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-SIMPLY-WANDA-JAMES_DSC1567.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1280w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-SIMPLY-WANDA-JAMES_DSC1567.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1860w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Simply Pure dispensary owner Wanda James at her shop in Denver on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023. (Photo by Andy Cross\/The Denver Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But the effort <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2022\/07\/20\/cannabis-marijuana-delivery-social-equity\/\">came too late<\/a>, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything was fully mature before Colorado thought about the concept of social equity,\u201d James said.<\/p>\n<p>Still, she applauds\u00a0the reduction in marijuana arrests since possession and use no longer violate state law \u2014 though <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2021\/07\/20\/marijuana-legalization-report-colorado\/\">Black Coloradans are still more likely to get in trouble<\/a> for cannabis than whites.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m proud we\u2019ve helped normalize the use of cannabis among adults,\u201d James said.<\/p>\n<h4>State adapts to challenges, including tigher edibles rules<\/h4>\n<p>The rollout of legal cannabis wasn\u2019t without its flaws.<\/p>\n<p>Educating the public, some of whom were new to marijuana, about safe consumption habits proved difficult. In one tragic example, a college student named Levy Thamba jumped to his death from a hotel balcony in 2014 after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2014\/04\/02\/denver-coroner-man-fell-to-death-after-eating-marijuana-cookies\/\">eating a marijuana cookie<\/a> with 65 milligrams of THC \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2014\/04\/17\/man-who-plunged-from-denver-balcony-ate-6x-recommended-amount-of-pot-cookie\/\">more than six times the recommended dose<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>That incident helped lead to new rules concerning <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2014\/07\/31\/colorados-marijuana-edible-manufacturers-face-tougher-rules\/\">edible serving sizes and packaging requirements<\/a>. Other laws were also written in response to situations regulators didn\u2019t anticipate. Denver, for example, <a href=\"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/2022\/04\/04\/vaulting-dispensaries-rules-denver\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">imposed new rules for storage and security<\/a> after an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2020\/01\/20\/denver-marijuana-burglaries-increase\/\">uptick in marijuana store burglaries<\/a> in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>But for all the pro-and-con campaigning in 2012, the worst fears about legalization\u2019s impact on children and underage youth have not come true.<\/p>\n<p>Since 2014, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has been monitoring drug use in adolescents and adults. In <a href=\"https:\/\/crsreports.congress.gov\/product\/pdf\/R\/R44782\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a 2019 survey<\/a>, the agency noted the frequency of youth consumption has \u201cnot changed since legalization.\u201d However, how young people consume changed over time, with the agency reporting increases in dabbing concentrates and vaping weed oil.<\/p>\n<p>The percentage of Colorado high school students <a href=\"https:\/\/marijuanahealthreport.colorado.gov\/health-data\/healthy-kids-colorado-survey-hkcs-data\">who used marijuana<\/a> in the 30 days preceding the survey (20.6%) was similar to the national average (21.7%). It was lower than the share of students who drank alcohol (29.6%) and used e-cigarettes (25.9%) during the same period, CDPHE found. The state\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/marijuanahealthreport.colorado.gov\/health-data\/healthy-kids-colorado-survey-hkcs-data\">biannual surveys<\/a> of high school and middle school students have found largely stable 30-day marijuana usage patterns, with a decrease in 2021 during the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>But Alton Dillard, a spokesman for an advocacy group called <a href=\"https:\/\/onechancetogrowup.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">One Chance to Grow Up<\/a>, pointed to other dangers. He cited a <a href=\"https:\/\/publications.aap.org\/pediatrics\/article\/151\/2\/e2022057761\/190427\/Pediatric-Edible-Cannabis-Exposures-and-Acute?autologincheck=redirected\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2022 study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics<\/a> that found a 1,375% increase from 2017 to 2021 in nationwide poison control reports of accidental marijuana ingestion in children younger than 6. One Chance to Grow Up says its mission is to keep kids away from \u201ctoday\u2019s marijuana,\u201d which is more potent than in decades past.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want to make sure people are aware that today\u2019s products are not the ditch weed of their youth,\u201d Dillard said.<\/p>\n<p>Colorado, he said, has \u201cmade strides with the universal symbol and demarcation of edibles\u201d but has missed the chance to make the drug less appealing to youths.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf this is an adult product, the bottom line is that it should be in capsule form that is not attractive to kids,\u201d\u00a0Dillard said. \u201cWhile that ship has sailed in Colorado, it\u2019s a big challenge. Colorado kids are still enticed by THC-spiked sweets.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5907375\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline\"><img class=\"lazyautosizes lazyloading\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-4.jpg\" alt=\"A sign advertising the sale of cannabis in Moffat is seen on April 20, 2022. The small town in the San Luis Valley near the Sand Dunes allows recreational cannabis sales. Other towns close to Moffat voted no to legal cannabis stores opening in their towns on a ballot issue voted upon on April 5. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson\/The Denver Post)\" width=\"4176\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-4.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"5907375\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-4.jpg 620w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-MARIJUANA__HHR7374.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 780w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-MARIJUANA__HHR7374.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 810w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-MARIJUANA__HHR7374.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1280w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-MARIJUANA__HHR7374.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1860w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign advertising the sale of cannabis in Moffat is seen on April 20, 2022. The small town in the San Luis Valley near the Sand Dunes allows recreational cannabis sales. Other towns close to Moffat voted no to legal cannabis stores opening in their towns on a ballot issue voted upon on April 5. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson\/The Denver Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>Some communities still resist legal weed<\/h4>\n<p>Cannabis isn\u2019t universally available statewide, despite Colorado boasting more than 1,000 medical and recreational dispensaries, some of them in combined storefronts.<\/p>\n<p>Amendment 64 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2016\/01\/01\/marijuana-gap-divides-colorado-towns-that-sell-pot-those-that-dont\/\">put power in the hands of local governments<\/a>, or their voters, to decide whether to opt in to allow marijuana sales, cultivation and manufacturing.<\/p>\n<p>Because of that, there remain pockets of the state where consumers cannot buy weed, including Douglas County and Arvada. In Colorado Springs, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cpr.org\/2022\/11\/08\/live-results-for-question-300-issue-301-allowing-taxing-recreational-cannabis-in-colorado-springs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">voters in 2022 rejected allowing retail stores<\/a>. The city does allow medical marijuana dispensaries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor me, it really goes back to the science \u2014 that it is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org\/hometown-health\/speaking-of-health\/how-teen-marijuana-use-impacts-brain-development#:~:text=Marijuana%20use%20among%20adolescents%20and,coordination%2C%20reaction%20time%20and%20judgment.\">harmful to young brains<\/a>,\u201d said Dave Donelson, a city councilman in Colorado\u2019s second-largest city \u2014 one of its most politically conservative communities.<\/p>\n<p>And unique to Colorado Springs, Donelson said, is the presence of several military bases. Recreational marijuana could jeopardize their standing in the eyes of U.S. military decisionmakers, he said, especially when it comes to issuing top security clearances to military personnel.<\/p>\n<p>For local voters, the councilman said, easy access to marijuana conjures up associations with elevated crime and vagrancy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook at downtown Denver with its more lenient policies towards drug use \u2014 is that what we want?\u201d he said. \u201cThat was a concern of our citizens. I think a lot of people in Colorado look back and wonder if we did the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Two hundred miles to the west, Grand Junction City Councilman Scott Beilfuss said cannabis initially was taboo in conservative Mesa County, too. But after watching nearby small towns, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2014\/08\/20\/debeque-turns-from-gambling-to-pot-to-boost-its-economy\/\">De Beque<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2018\/12\/28\/parachute-marijuana-taxes-benefits-economy\/\">Parachute<\/a>, successfully support retail stores \u2014 and reap the tax benefits \u2014 sales in Grand Junction became more palatable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll the communities along I-70 didn\u2019t have problems and were using tax money for community improvement things. That was a big sell on my part,\u201d Beilfuss said.<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2021\/04\/07\/marijuana-moratorium-grand-junction\/\">Grand Junction voters approved a ballot measure<\/a> opening the door for retail sales with the promise that taxes would pay for a new recreation center. Though city officials fumbled the rollout, allocating licenses via a lottery despite advice to the contrary, four retail stores have opened within city limits.<\/p>\n<p>Officials hope to break ground on the rec center next year.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5907372\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline\"><img class=\"lazyautosizes lazyloading\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-5.jpg\" alt=\"Casey Bestull raises his phone to photograph cannabis plants during a dispensary tour at Seed and Smith in Denver, which he attended while visiting from Wisconsin, on March 5, 2022. (Photo by Kevin Mohatt\/Special to the Denver Post)\" width=\"7816\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-5.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"5907372\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-5.jpg 620w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-505.0.187958622-DISPENSARY-TOUR-7499.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 780w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-505.0.187958622-DISPENSARY-TOUR-7499.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 810w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-505.0.187958622-DISPENSARY-TOUR-7499.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1280w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-505.0.187958622-DISPENSARY-TOUR-7499.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1860w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Casey Bestull raises his phone to photograph cannabis plants during a dispensary tour at Seed and Smith in Denver, which he attended while visiting from Wisconsin, on March 5, 2022. (Photo by Kevin Mohatt\/Special to the Denver Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>Normalization advances \u2014 to a point<\/h4>\n<p>While the embrace of marijuana varies across the state, legalization unquestionably ushered in broader cultural acceptance of cannabis.<\/p>\n<p>Thornton native Arend Richard began shopping at dispensaries as a medical patient in 2011, and he distinctly remembers recreational sales bringing out a more diverse crowd \u2014 one that broke the stoner stereotype.<\/p>\n<p>Post-legalization, enthusiasts could talk openly about their use and the canna-curious could easily try marijuana, all without fear of being arrested. CDPHE\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/marijuanahealthreport.colorado.gov\/health-data\/behavioral-risk-factor-surveillance-system-brfss-data\">surveys<\/a> have found the proportion of people 65 and older using cannabis within the previous 30 days more than doubled between 2014 and 2021, from 3% to 7.6%.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5902815\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline\"><img class=\"lazyautosizes lazyloading\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-6.jpg\" alt=\"Founder of the Cirrus Social Club Arend Richard in Denver on Saturday Dec. 23, 2023. (Photo by Andy Cross\/The Denver Post)\" width=\"7177\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-6.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"5902815\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-6.jpg 620w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-CIRRUS-SOCIAL-CLUB_DSC9607.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 780w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-CIRRUS-SOCIAL-CLUB_DSC9607.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 810w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-CIRRUS-SOCIAL-CLUB_DSC9607.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1280w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-CIRRUS-SOCIAL-CLUB_DSC9607.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1860w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Arend Richard, founder of the Cirrus Social Club in Denver on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023. (Photo by Andy Cross\/The Denver Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt showed how this newly recreational plant wasn\u2019t just for stoners,\u201d Richard said. \u201cWe sparked the fire that lit the joint.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That shift is evident in pop culture, too. While indo-smoking icon Snoop Dogg may be the most obvious marijuana-enthused musician who comes to mind, artists from R&amp;B singer Frank Ocean (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=X_SEwgDl02E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cSolo\u201d in 2016<\/a>) to country star Miranda Lambert (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=KYnVQXNFueo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cActin\u2019 Up\u201d in 2022<\/a>) have songs that mention getting high in Colorado.<\/p>\n<p>As the proprietor of a forthcoming cannabis lounge, Richard is hoping to join in a second wave of normalization.<\/p>\n<p>At his <a href=\"https:\/\/cirrussocialclub.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cirrus Social Club<\/a> in Denver,\u00a0guests will be able to bring marijuana and consume it using the venue\u2019s variety of \u201cseshware,\u201d such as bongs and volcano vaporizers that will be served tableside. The goal: to offer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2023\/04\/27\/cirrus-social-club-conflax-denver-cannabis-nightlife\/\">a nightlife experience that focuses on weed<\/a>, Richard said, filling a missing gap in the current scene.<\/p>\n<p>Public places to consume cannabis, known as hospitality establishments, are few and far between in Colorado. Notable exceptions include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2022\/05\/18\/photos-jads-mile-high-smoke-marijuana-bar-lounge\/\">JAD\u2019s Mile High Smoke<\/a> in Adams County, where patrons can belly up to the bar and order a wide selection of products for use on-site, and smoke-friendly tour bus companies that are becoming more common, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2023\/03\/01\/cannabis-experience-marijuana-bus-airport-rides-smoking-tours-denver\/\">The Cannabis Experience<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5907377\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline\"><img class=\"lazyautosizes lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-7.jpg\" alt=\"Calie Clark smokes cannabis from a bong with her husband, left in glasses, along with friends at JAD's Mile High Smoke north of Denver\" width=\"3000\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-7.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"5907377\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-7.jpg 620w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-Z-imadalii-jads-mile-high-smoke-7.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 780w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-Z-imadalii-jads-mile-high-smoke-7.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 810w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-Z-imadalii-jads-mile-high-smoke-7.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1280w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-Z-imadalii-jads-mile-high-smoke-7.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1860w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Calie Clark smokes cannabis from a bong with her husband, left in glasses, along with friends at JAD\u2019s Mile High Smoke north of Denver, one of the first cannabis lounges in the state, on Friday, April 29, 2022. (Photo by Eli Imadali\/Special to The Denver Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Aurora came close to allowing lounges, tasting rooms and pot tour buses citywide in 2021 before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2021\/09\/28\/marijuana-hospitality-aurora-defeated-smoking-lounges\/\">rejecting the idea in a tight city council vote<\/a>.\u00a0Some private clubs have popped up in Denver over the years, but the movement to build cannabis-friendly destinations has yet to take off \u2014 thanks, in part, to regulations that make it a costly endeavor to comply with the state\u2019s strict indoor air law.<\/p>\n<p>Bradley, with the Marijuana Industry Group, considers the dearth of places to consume marijuana socially one of the big failures of Colorado\u2019s experiment with legal weed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople have been consuming cannabis for millennia,\u201d he said, \u201cbut there are less than a handful of legal places to publicly consume cannabis \u2014 which is insane, considering we are a decade into legalization. I want to be able to sample it at a farmer\u2019s market or buy a joint at a bar. I want Colorado to have the Great Cannabis Festival, not just the Great (American) Beer Festival.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Facing headwinds, industry \u201cstill hasn\u2019t found that bottom\u201d<\/h4>\n<p>Public-use spaces aren\u2019t the only struggle in the industry \u2014 after a decade of extraordinary growth, it\u2019s now experiencing a downturn.<\/p>\n<p>Sales have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2023\/05\/21\/colorado-cannabis-marijuana-weed-dispensaries-downturn\/\">plummeted in the last couple years<\/a>, following a pandemic-fueled surge, as more states got in the game and the price of marijuana dropped. Established brands, such as edibles maker Coda Signature and multistate operator Curaleaf Holdings, <a href=\"https:\/\/mjbizdaily.com\/major-marijuana-brand-coda-signature-exits-colorado-market\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">discontinued business in the state altogether in 2023<\/a>, citing economic challenges.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"related right\"> <\/aside>\n<p>\u201cThe state\u2019s cannabis industry still hasn\u2019t found that bottom,\u201d Baca said.<\/p>\n<p>Roadblocks caused by marijuana\u2019s federal legal status have compounded the problems. Among them are <a href=\"https:\/\/legislature.vermont.gov\/Documents\/2016\/WorkGroups\/Senate%20Finance\/Bills\/S.241\/W~Shayne%20Lynn,%20Executive%20Director,%20Champlain%20Valley%20Dispensary,%20Inc.~S.241%20280E%20White%20Paper~2-2-2016.pdf\">a tax regulation<\/a> that\u00a0prohibits cannabis businesses from taking advantage of lucrative deductions commonly used by other industries and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2019\/03\/09\/marijuana-banking-cash-only-colorado\/\">limits on banking privileges<\/a>. The latter has left many marijuana businesses still dealing in large amounts of cash.<\/p>\n<p>Most weed enthusiasts itch for legalization of marijuana across the United States, but that, too, could bring more hazards for the local industry, said McKinley, the former state regulator. Currently, legal marijuana businesses must grow and process cannabis in the state where they sell it.<\/p>\n<p>Federal legalization could open the gate for interstate commerce \u2014 inviting big players with deep pockets to flood the market, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf it legalizes federally, I just don\u2019t think the local cannabis sellers will be able to compete against the Marlboros of cannabis,\u201d McKinley said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5907381\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline\"><img class=\"lazyautosizes lazyloading\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-8.jpg\" alt=\"Dave Schlax, an employee at The Republic cannabis cultivation, hangs up plants to dry during the middle of harvest season for its outdoor cannabis grow on Sept. 19, 2022, in Boulder. (Photo by RJ Sangosti\/The Denver Post)\" width=\"7891\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-8.jpg\" data-attachment-id=\"5907381\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/the-first-10-years-of-legal-marijuana-in-colorado-were-a-wild-ride-what-will-happen-in-the-next-decade-8.jpg 620w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-cannabis-cultivation-RJS-1.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 780w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-cannabis-cultivation-RJS-1.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 810w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-cannabis-cultivation-RJS-1.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1280w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.denverpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/TDP-L-cannabis-cultivation-RJS-1.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1860w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dave Schlax, an employee at The Republic cannabis cultivation, hangs up plants to dry during the middle of harvest season for its outdoor cannabis grow on Sept. 19, 2022, in Boulder. (Photo by RJ Sangosti\/The Denver Post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Bradley pointed to more pressing challenges that need to be addressed to help the industry thrive in its second decade: overly complex state and local regulations, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2021\/10\/15\/marijuana-colorado-cannabis-taxes-federal-state-local\/\">high taxes<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2020\/02\/14\/cannabis-clean-colorado-highway-sponsorship\/#:~:text=Colorado's%20rules%20governing%20how%20and,is%20predominantly%2021%20and%20older.\">tight restrictions<\/a> on how, and to what extent, businesses can advertise.<\/p>\n<p>James, the owner of Simply Pure, added to the list the restrictive buffers applied to marijuana stores, which mandate a certain distance from schools or even other stores. She argued they should be eased, since the current setbacks severely limit the real estate where entrepreneurs can locate a storefront, resulting in price gouging by landlords.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is nothing you can do but pay it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>All that aside, James is bullish on the future of marijuana in Colorado \u2014 an industry she first entered in 2009, when only medical weed was permitted. The maturing industry may not be as wild of a ride in coming years as it was in the first decade of legalization, she said.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s here to stay.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAmericans have spoken,\u201d James said. \u201cIt\u2019s what people want.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/newsletter-signup\/the-spot\/\">Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<p>It&#8217;s been 10 years since Colorado hosted the world\u2019s first legal sales of recreational marijuana. The success of Colorado&#8217;s tightly regulated system has helped reshape the public&#8217;s perception of cannabis, but the industry faces headwinds in its second decade. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6913,5062,52,330,6895,6811,6807,376,5662,7143,233,1345,1547,784,8317,6892,478,2097,7938,77,5577,7816,6999,6815,7280,5667,6858,6899,6886,6822,6921,56,9,6849,8309,6855,5019,441,5236,6845,977,5921,1,3,2379,18,7072,6923,61,1736],"tags":[6914,5063,2632,2908,6896,6816,6809,2954,5668,7144,2811,3915,4115,3357,8318,6893,3052,4665,7939,2655,5580,7818,7000,6820,7283,5673,6860,6900,6889,6824,6922,2636,6852,8310,6856,5022,3015,5238,6846,3548,5936,4974,2622,7073,6924],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9991"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9991\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}