Recreational Pot Sales Are the New Normal in Colorado
The following originally appeared on SmelltheTruth.org.
As the smoke clears (or gets thicker, depending on your perspective) in Colorado after the first day of recreational marijuana sales, residents there are settling in to what will be a new normal for them: adults buying weed for any reason at all.
The first person to take advantage of the new system was Iraq War veteran Sean Azzariti, who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder but couldn't legally buy cannabis in CO because PTSD is not a qualifying condition under the state's medical marijuana law. Thousands followed Sean into the history books on day 1 as lines formed at recreational pot shops across the state.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock seemed pleased that the sky didn't fall and riots didn't break out as recreational weed sales became a reality, saying in a statement, "I am proud of Denver's responsible and balanced implementation of Amendment 64...I want to thank the businesses and consumers alike for acting responsibly and with great accountability today. Denver is a progressive city, a vibrant city, and it’s incumbent on all of us to continue getting this right."
The Marijuana Policy Project was understandably happy as well as they watched the law they put so much effort into further implemented. “The era of marijuana prohibition is officially over in Colorado,” said Rob Kampia, executive director of MPP. “The state is demonstrating to the rest of the nation and the entire world that regulating marijuana works."
There was also some humor to be found on a day where sales of a substance that aids in laughter became legal; the historic moment was even immortalized in the famous Doonesbury comic.
The days will pass and recreational marijuana buying will become no different and no more newsworthy than someone buying a case of beer at the corner store. Some signs of this normalcy are already appearing as the esteemed editor of Smell The Truth, David Downs, reports that there were no lines waiting outside 3-D Cannabis Center in Denver early this morning, as there were yesterday. Only a lone news van stood vigil, covering what was the biggest news story in the country just one day ago.
Find this and more great coverage at SmelltheTruth.org.
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