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Blazing Cannabis Trail, U.S. States Eye Tourism Surge
[An Nahar] Marijuana users in Colorado and Washington are counting down the hours before the western U.S. states become the first to legalize recreational pot shops on January 1.Blazing a trail they hope will be followed in other parts of the United States, cannabis growers and others are also rubbing their hands, while tax collectors are eyeing the revenue the newly-legalized trade will generate. Enterprising companies are even offering marijuana tours to cash in on tourists expected to be attracted to a Netherlands-style pot culture -- including in Colorado's famous ski resorts. "Just the novelty alone is bringing people from everywhere," said Adam Raleigh of cannabis supplier Telluride Bud Co. "I have people driving in from Texas, Arizona, Utah... to be a part of history. "Over the last month I have received somewhere between four to six emails a day and five to 10 phone calls a day asking all about the law and when should people plan their ski trip to go along with cannabis," he added. Medical marijuana is already legal and regulated in 19 U.S. states, and has been allowed in some cases for the past 20 years. And in most of them, private consumption of cannabis is not classified as a crime. But Colorado and Washington are creating a recreational market in which local authorities will oversee growing, distribution and marketing -- all of it legal -- for people to get high just for the fun of it. The market is huge: from $1.4 billion in medical marijuana in 2013 it will grow by 64 percent to $2.34 billion in 2014 with recreational pot added in Colorado and Washington, according to Arcview Market Research, which tracks and publishes data on the cannabis industry. Both states legalized recreational consumption of marijuana in referendums in November last year, but new rules coming into force on January 1 allow cannabis shops. Posted by: Fred 2013-12-30 |
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