Colorado: 3 years of cannabis legalization

On December 10, 2015, Colorado celebrated 3 years of cannabis legalization. On December 10, 2012, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper had formalized Amendment 64 in the state constitution. It was certainly only a procedural point, but an important one: it was the first time Colorado had publicly shifted that it would not oppose cannabis legalization, or ask the federal government to intervene.

3 years later, legalization has changed many things in the state. Some towns smell a little different around some of the industrial complexes that house cannabis plantations. Most importantly, Colorado now has three years of data to see what legalization brings to the community.

Here is a selection of 12 changes that have taken place since the legalization of cannabis in Colorado.

1/ Families have moved to treat their children with CBD, often for forms of epilepsy that traditional medicine was unable to treat. A beautiful Denver Post report followed some of these families in their daily struggle. Colorado has been dubbed the «State of Hope» by these families.

2/ Cannabis tourism is on the rise, and not just in the pot shops. Some plantations are now opening their doors to tourists, while travel agencies are offering their services. 420 Tour. L’Adagio Bud and Breakfast even has a room where guests can eat and smoke. Around half of all tourists to Colorado come for a cannabis-related reason, with tourists spending more locally than before legalization.

3/ the State of Colorado is funding cannabis research, to the tune of $8 million in 2015. On the other hand, the U.S. federal government grants research credits in dribs and drabs. Today, research has yet to scientifically prove the benefits of cannabis on the illnesses for which it is administered.

4/ What about children? Opponents of legalization argued that legalization would encourage children to use drugs. young people to use cannabis. Cannabis-related arrests actually increased slightly in public schools, by 6%, in 2013. But statistical studies saw no increase in consumption.

5/ Two neighboring states, Nebraska and Oklahoma, appealed to the US Supreme Court in December 2014 to halt Colorado's legalization of cannabis. They argue that «Colorado has created a dangerous gap in the federal drug control system.»

6/ Colorado is experiencing problems with pesticides used to grow cannabis. Some products have been withdrawn from the market, but Colorado, and the other states where medical cannabis cultivation is authorized, have still not resolved this problem.

7/ chronic cannabis use is not linked to future problems: the increasing availability of cannabis in recent years has heightened concerns about long-term health consequences. But in a study by the American Psychological Association, To their great surprise, the researchers found no link between cannabis use and future psychological and medical problems.

8/ An ever-increasing number of Americans think cannabis should be legal. Cannabis use among American adults has doubled in 10 years, pushing the number of mostly recreational users to over 22 million.

9/ Cannabis arrests massively reduced, but racial disparities persist. The legalization of cannabis in Colorado has not solved the problem of racial disparities that reform policies hoped to move, with a black population more likely to be linked to cannabis-related crimes than the white population.

10/ Space food is on the rise. Gone are the bland space cake and the bitter infusion. Colorado now offers a whole range of cannabis products: sodas, cookies, juices, rich in THC or CBD, you'll be spoilt for choice. Some products, such as Dixie, infused with CBD-rich, non-psychoactive cannabis, are even exported as far afield as New Zealand and Australia.

11/ Cannabis fairs are on the increase. They range from simple presentations of the latest trends in consumption and cultivation, to unusual themes such as the salon du mariage cannabique, Colorado, and then the other states, have captured the public's interest.

12/ 1 in 11 buildings in downtown Denver is used for cannabis cultivation, which represents over 350,000m². New businesses have a bit of trouble finding empty buildings right now.