Going into the New Year, we thought this was a good time to remind everyone of the early present the voters of Denver delivered on Election Day back in November.
Say hello to the new Denver marijuana smoking law.
Fifty-four percent of voters approved the new Denver marijuana smoking law. This measure would let local businesses in Denver apply for permits for the indoor or outdoor use of marijuana on their property. Users would have to bring their own pot. Smoking on-site at dispensaries is still prohibited by state law.
Now this wouldn’t be a government run show if there weren’t a few catches:
- This is only a four-year pilot program. Legislators would have to vote later to make this permanent.
- Permit applications aren’t available until January 21st, 2017 at the earliest.
- Before an applicant can win approval, it must first get support from at least one local neighborhood or business group. This is supposed to encourage cooperation between the applicant and its’ neighbors.
And if those don’t harsh your mellow enough, the State of Colorado recently ruled that any business with a liquor license is ineligible for a marijuana consumption permit. According to the Denver Post, the liquor industry and the Colorado Restaurant Association did not want to have marijuana consumed where liquor was being consumed. The state couldn’t help but agree with them.
Though we are all affected by the ever-changing marijuana laws (and hopefully ever-improving), it’s important to remember that this law only applies to Denver. If you are outside of the Mile High City, you still have to deal with a patchwork of local laws that typically don’t allow business owners to do the same.
Nonetheless, it’s a promising start to 2017! Finally, there is hope for all those green tourists and traveling business visitors who have had to endure the cruel joke of legal weed with few places to enjoy it.
