Skeptics worry 1st legal pot industry in U.S. will make drug more widely available to teens. The first recreational marijuana industry in the U.S. opened Wednesday in Colorado, kicking off an experiment that will be watched closely around the world.
Activists hope to prove that legalization is a better alternative than the costly American-led war on drugs.
“Honestly, I thought I’d never see the day,” said a giddy Errin Reaume, who shared hits of concentrated marijuana at a 1920s-themed “Prohibition Is Over” party in Denver.
Skeptics worry the industry will make the drug more widely available to teens, even though legal sales are limited to adults over 21.
Colorado voters in 2012 approved the legal pot industry. Washington state has its own version, which is scheduled to open in mid-2014.
Pot advocates have argued a legal market would generate revenue for states and save money by not having to lock up so many drug offenders.
Colorado set up an elaborate plant-tracking system to try to keep the drug away from the black market, and regulators set up packaging, labelling and testing requirements, along with potency limits for edible pot.
CBC News – Jan 01, 2014.