10 Years of Legalized Cannabis in Colorado – Durango Herald
- On 1st January 2014, Colorado became the first U.S. state to legalize the sale of marijuana for recreational use. Since then, the state has sold $11.7 billion in cannabis, bringing in $2.4 billion in taxes. The funds have been used for various public amenities, including new schools and recreational centers.
- In the years following legalization, there has been a significant increase in marijuana usage in Colorado. However, adolescent usage has dropped from 20.8% to 17.5%. Despite this, concerns still persist about youth access to highly potent THC products, which can lead to dependency and other negative impacts.
- The cannabis industry in Colorado still faces significant challenges due to the federal prohibition of the drug. This includes difficulties in gaining access to capital, restrictions on interstate commerce, and the absence of federal tax breaks. Despite these hurdles, the industry has seen a number of successful entrepreneurs, particularly those who started in the early stages of legalization.
Retail Cannabis Legalization’s Impact on Colorado
Reflecting on the past decade since cannabis was legalized for recreational use in Colorado, activist Christian Sederberg recalls the enthusiasm and long lines at dispensaries on day one of sales. Despite the wintry weather, customers were excited and ready to participate in this historic moment.
Denver’s LivWell cannabis dispensary retail shelves. (Hart Van Denburg/CPR News)
Within the span of a decade, Colorado has sold $11.7 billion worth of cannabis in hundreds of stores across the state. This equates to more than 3.7 billion one-gram joints sold at today’s (pretax) price of $3.15 each. From this, $2.4 billion in taxes have been generated, funding schools, recreational centers, and more.
Despite the economic benefit, the legalization of cannabis wasn’t a universal economic boom as some anticipated. However, it also didn’t spell societal disaster as predicted by critics. The state has seen an increase in nontraditional harvesting jobs, and terms like “budtender” and “looping” have become part of the local language.
Still, legalization continues to raise important questions about youth usage, potential gateway effects, and ongoing federal prohibition causing banking issues. Stricter regulations have been put into place to curb youth access to cannabis, and there has been a focus on reducing access to highly potent THC in recent years. Colorado has seen a decrease in marijuana use among adolescents since recreational legalization, but youth use remains higher than the national average.
Despite being the first state to legalize, Colorado’s political establishment was divided on the issue. Former Governor John Hickenlooper initially opposed legalization, fearing significant increases in youth consumption. He has since changed his stance, acknowledging that usage among young people did not surge as expected.
The cannabis industry faces ongoing challenges due to federal prohibition. Restrictions on interstate commerce, lack of federal tax breaks, and limited banking and financial services hamper industry growth. The lack of federal bankruptcy protection has also become an issue as the industry has weathered its first downturn.
Legalization has had a positive impact in reducing convictions related to marijuana. Criminal marijuana possession arrests dropped by 71% from 2012 to 2019. However, racial disparities in arrests persist, with the arrest rate for Blacks being more than double that for whites.
Owner of Colorado Harvest Company, Tim Cullen, points out the vast change in the landscape over the last decade, “Almost half the country now has some form of recreational legalization. Almost the entire country has some form of medical. CBD has swept the country as well. It is a vastly different landscape than where we were 10 years ago.”
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